Over the past decade or so, Hollywood has had two surefire hit titans rule its comedy box office with an iron first, as Judd Apatow and Will Ferrell have launched a new generation of stars for their dude-driven goofball laughers. Now, in a brand new decade, it seems as if the two will be looking to shift over and utilize the talents of a growing legion of leading funny ladies.
As Apatow's Kristen Wiig-led, women-centric marriage comedy "Bridesmaids," approaches its release date, Ferrell is in the midst of creating his own entry into the genre. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ferrell and longtime collaborator Adam McKay are putting together a film tentatively titled "The Bachelorette," about three women who come back to their hometown to be bridesmaids for a girl they called "Pigface" in high school.
Thus far, Ferrell and McKay have landed some major talent for the film, as Kirsten Dunst and Lizzy Caplan have signed on to play two of the three bridesmaids. Adding to the funny: Adam Scott, Caplan's love interest in their cult classic show "Party Down," will play Caplan's high school crush.
With a micro-budget of just a few million dollars, the film will be Ferrell's latest indie-focused effort. As financing has dried up for his big budget box office comedy smashes, he's taken on smaller projects, such as his new dramedy "Everything Must Go" and Spanish-language romp, "Casa de Mi Padre."
Major studios have gotten so tight with their money, Ferrell said last week, that he can't even get financing for a followup to his worldwide smash "Anchorman."
"'Anchorman 2,' you'd have to really assert some kind of email hate campaign to Paramount picture because they've told us, quote unquote, 'We've run the numbers and it's not a good fit,'" Ferrell told an audience of journalists while promoting "Everything Must Go."
For more on the new film, click over to The Hollywood Reporter.