After being a behind-the-scenes voice in Hollywood for nearly half a decade, Justin Theroux is finally going to be making his feature directing debut.
The "Tropic Thunder" and "Iron Man 2" scribe is going to be helming and rewriting the upcoming Warner Bros. comedy "Swear to God," Deadline reports. The movie is set to star frequent collaborators Will Ferrell and Steve Carell, with Ferrell reportedly playing a narcissist who believes that God has reached out and spoken to him. "Due Date" screenwriters Alan Cohen and Alan Freedland wrote the original script.
This is a big move up in the world for Theroux, who has been dating Jennifer Aniston since May 2011. Theroux started out as an actor, appearing in films like "Mulholland Dr." and "American Psycho," before transitioning to writing in 2008. This isn't the first time he's been eyed to write and direct a comedy in recent years, either. It was Theroux who wrote the current script for "Zoolander 2" and who Paramount had hoped to direct it back in 2010, though it's unclear where that project stands now. He also was tapped to direct "Chief Ron" back in 2009.
The plan is to have "Swear to God" start filming next July, after Ferrell and Carell have finished their commitment to "Anchorman 2." The acting duo will have worked together on both "Anchorman" movies as well as "Bewitched," "Melinda and Melinda" and several episodes of "The Office," so it's a guarantee that they'll have onscreen chemistry. We're intrigued by the character Carell will be playing, though. Frequently when he and Ferrell have worked together in the past, he's played a lovable doofus, but we'd love to see him tackle one of his more serious roles for this film.
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