Spike gets its own comedy series
Spike TV has ordered six episodes of Factory, a largely improvised comedy revolving around four small-town factory workers who’d rather do anything than work at their boring jobs, according to a Hollywood Reporter story. It will be the Guy Network’s first original comedy series.
Set to premiere on June 29 at 10 p.m., Factory is directed, produced by, and stars Mitch Rouse (pictured), co-creator of Strangers With Candy, the short-lived TV series that ran from 1999-2000, as well as the 2005 prequel feature film by the same name.
Rouse has an interesting list of credits. In addition to numerous feature films, he played Dr. Ryan Gibson on According to Jim (come on, there must be someone out there who watches this show), Fireman #1 on Reno 911, and was a regular on Exit 57, a mid-1990s comedy-sketch show.
Also in the Factory’s ensemble cast are Michael Coleman, Jay Leggett, and David Pasquesi. “Factory is a unique improvised comedy that captures the everyday lives of four regular guys,” said Bill McGoldrick, VP of original programming at Spike. “The humor speaks directly to our viewers, and Mitch’s sensibility is a perfect match for our brand.”
Is anyone else visualizing these guys hitting the stage au natural and magically twirling their hats? No? Ok, just me and my gutter brain then. Hey, it could happen.
Gore Verbinski To Leave Pirates of The Caribbean 4? Robert Zemeckis to direct Mars Needs Moms!
Johnny Depp has told Disney that he would be willing to return for a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean, but now word comes that director Gore Verbinski (who helmed the three previous films) is uninterested in helming the project.
“Gore’s sick of pirates. If I wrote a scene that had to be shot on water, he’d run the other way.,” said Mars Needs Moms! author Berkeley Breathed on a recent book tour appearance.
What does he know? Berkeley and Gore have been working together to adapt Breathed’s 2003 children’s book, Flawed Dogs: The Year End Leftovers at the Piddleton “Last Chance” Dog Pound into a Computer Animated movie for Disney.
The author also revealed that Back to the Future director Robert Zemeckis is attached to direct an adaptation of his latest book.
“Robert Zemeckis is doing the movie version of Mars Needs Moms! They’re working on the script now,” Breathed revealed.
Jim Hill speculates that this could be one of the very first projects to be produced by Disney’s new ImageMovers Digital unit.
Here is the book description for Mars Needs Moms!:
Milo doesn’t get it: What’s the big deal about moms? They’re just slavedriving broccoli bullies. Yet they are worshipped the world over! Perhaps even the galaxy over—because here come Martians and they’re after one thing only: moms. Milo’s mom in particular. Who better to drive them to soccer practice and to pizza parties? That’s quite a long way to come for a mom—could it be that Milo has been overlooking something special?
From Pulitzer Prize–winning comic strip creator of Bloom County and bestselling author Berkeley Breathed comes a funny, poignant book about how the unique love that binds our families can be overlooked in the rush and tumble of everyday lives . . . especially those of disgruntled little boys.