marco schnabel Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Jessica Alba Joins Mike Myers in 'The Love Guru'
Filed under: Comedy », Casting », Paramount »
According to Variety, Mike Myers' next film, The Love Guru, just got a lot hotter! That's right, gentlemen -- Verne Troyer has joined the cast! Oh, and Jessica Alba too. I guess she's alright. I told you a little bit about the comedy a few months back, but now we've got a confirmed plot synopsis and the cast is starting to take shape. Alba has the female lead in the movie and Myers will re-unite with everyone's favorite alcoholic little person Verne "Mini-Me" Troyer for the first time since the Austin Powers movies. Romany Malco has also joined the cast, you might know him from his excellent work on Showtime's Weeds or his hilarious performance in The 40 Year-Old Virgin. Marco Schnabel, assistant director on Goldmember and the Meet the Parents movies, will direct Guru, which was scripted by Myers and Graham Gordy. The setup for the movie doesn't sound too hilarious, but I have friends who saw Myers do the Guru character at improv shows in New York, and they loved it. In the film, Mike Myers will play Pitka, "an American who was left at the gates of an ashram in India as a child and raised by gurus." Pitka moves back to the United States, and "attempts to settle a rift between a hockey player (Malco) and his wife, who begins scoring with the star player of a rival team ... Pitka's job is to check that illicit romance and reunite the couple so the star player can lead his team to the championship." Alba will play the owner of the hockey team, and Troyer will play the team's coach. I can't ascertain from the synopsis if Alba will be a love interest for Pitka or not, but I imagine that's the case. Something tells me Mr. Myers has a big say in casting his female co-stars -- Tia Carrere, Elizabeth Hurley, Heather Graham, Cameron Diaz, Beyonce, and now Alba. The guy's living in Maxim World! The Love Guru is due out June 20th.
Mike Myers' Indian Guru Pic Gets Director
Filed under: Comedy », Deals », Paramount », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand »
Though we haven't seen him in a live-action film since the abysmal Cat in the Hat flick, Mike Myers is gearing up to introduce a new character to the world; one that could potentially franchise out, a la Austin Powers. Variety tells us that Marco Schnabel will make his feature directorial debut on the currently untitled pic, having worked with Myers as a crew member on the first two Austin Powers pics, as well as second unit director on Austin Powers in Goldmember. Myers penned the script along with Graham Gordy, and Paramount is eyeing a 2008 release.
In the film, Myers will play the Indian Guru Pitka -- an eccentric new-age guru who's hired to come in and help a couple figure out their relationship woes. Pic was first announced almost a year ago; no word on why it took so long to get off the ground, but something tells me Myers wanted to hone the character before moving forward. In fact, he's been quietly showing up at random New York comedy clubs in character, complete with fake nose, beard and dressed in an all-white robe. In the meantime, Myers continues to pump out Shrek films, with Shrek the Third due out May 18 and Shrek 4 hitting theaters in 2010.
I was never a big fan of Myers' Austin Powers character; his shtick wore off on me halfway through the first film. However, this Indian Guru guy sounds pretty funny. Assuming they get the right couple to play off Myers (something tells me Luke Wilson might be looked at), we could be in store for a nice refreshing comedy -- especially since, these days, they all feel the same. What do you think? Does Myers still have what it takes to entertain, or should those SNL skit-type comedies remain in the past where they belong?
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