New Line might not be the company it once was, but they're continuing to pick up projects. The Hollywood Reporter posts that they've made its first purchase since downsizing, putting $500,000 against $1 million on the line for a comedy spec by Chad Kultgen (Average American Male) called Dan Mintner: Badass for Hire. Oh yes, it's just as it sounds.

Producer Beau Flynn says: "It's a homage to Cobra, Predator, Missing in Action. The baddest dude in the world in supertight jeans, chewing on a matchstick, stuck in the '80s but kicking ass in the present day." Being a fan of a good comedy/spoof mixed with action, this could be oh, so good, if it's teamed with the right music. It would also be awesome to see some cameos by the tough men of yesteryear (not just dudes like Van Damme or Lundgren -- I'm thinking the A-Team).

What confuses me, however, are the comparisons used in the piece. Flynn says it's an R-rated comedy in the spirit of Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and the Wedding Crashers. Huh? Well, at least H&K made perfect use of a certain, grating infamous song. But the kicker in this -- who could play Dan Mintner? I'd think he has to be old enough to remember the '80s, yet young enough that it isn't just some old dude trying to be bad. Any ideas?

I already love the sound of this movie because, essentially, it's the story of my life (circa three years ago). And, for some odd reason, Fox Atomic seems to think my life is worthy of the big-screen treatment, as they've gone out and picked up the novel The Average American Male by Chad Kultgen, a former Weekly World News writer. Here's how The Hollywood Reporter describes the story: "Average's" unnamed narrator is a man in his late 20s who hangs out with his friends and girlfriend, plays video games and holds an insignificant job. He reveals to readers his racy thoughts on his girlfriend, watching porn, his disgust with people in general and that he should either live life alone or bite the marriage bullet." It's freaky how similar my life was to the one of this so-called "unnamed narrator," although I was never much of a porn fan. And I don't know who this Chad Kultgen guy is, which means there's no way this book was based on me. Or was it, Chaaaad???

The fascinating part of this story is that interest in the book rose considerably after publisher Harper Perennial produced three one-minute videos promoting it on YouTube. Each one got increasingly more popular, and with more than one million views, book sales went up. For those of you interested in watching said videos (which do contain some harsh, sexually-explicit language -- just so you're warned), you can check them out here, here and here. I found them to be pretty damn funny (especially that third one), and they should serve as a message to those aspirings looking to get your self-published project a little buzz. Go to YouTube! And be creative! Betty Thomas (John Tucker Must Die) has hopped onboard to produce, as well as possibly direct, and there's currently no word on who they're thinking about casting as The Average American Male. Heck, I'll do it!