Jorma Taccone

Director Jorma Taccone Confirms He’s Working on MACGRUBER 2 with Will Forte

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 21st, 2012 at 3:15 pm

In the pantheon of feature films born out of SNL skits, there’s a big hit-and-miss factor; for every Wayne’s World, there’s three It’s Pat’s.  A film version of MacGruber hit theaters in 2010 and any way you slice it, the movie was a disaster at the box office.  Against a budget of $10 million, the film grossed a total of $9.2 million worldwide.  I wasn’t a huge fan of Will Forte’s MacGruber sketch to begin with, so I wasn’t about to go sit through a 90-minute version in theaters.  However, the film hit DVD and I started hearing from trustworthy friends that it was actually good.

After being commanded to watch it multiple times, I finally relented and watched MacGruber myself.  It turns out that the film is actually pretty fantastic.  The jokes are ridiculously out-there, and Forte and director Jorme Taccone got away with making an insane comedy within the studio system.  So it’s with great enthusiasm that I greeted the news today that Taccone and Forte are working on a follow-up to MacGruber that may or may not come to fruition.  Hit the jump for more.

MACGRUBER Director Jorma Taccone to Helm Action Comedy THE GREAT UNKNOWN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 3rd, 2012 at 12:44 pm

Though it wasn’t exactly a commercial success, the 2010 comedy MacGruber has become a sort of cult hit as of late. Its absurdity is only matched by its hilarity, and I find myself liking the movie more and more with each viewing.   As such, it comes as great news that MacGruber director (and The Lonely Island member) Jorma Taccone is attached to direct a new action-comedy for New Line based on the Image comic The Great Unknown, written by Duncan Rouleau. Rouleau is a part of Man of Action Studios, the group behind the Ben 10 empire and Disney XD’s Ultimate Spider-Man animated series.  Michael Starrbury will pen the script for the pic, which centers on “a slacker with delusions of grandeur who believes his so-called great ideas are popping up elsewhere.”  Since no one believes that his ideas are being stolen, he sets out on a quest to “solve the mystery behind the idea thefts.” Hit the jump for more.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, and Cameron Diaz to Star in Ryan Murphy’s Musical ONE HIT WONDERS; The Lonely Island May Write the Songs

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 28th, 2012 at 2:44 pm

With the massive success of Glee, it was only a matter of time before creator Ryan Murphy brought a musical to the big screen.  Deadline reports that Murphy has lined up Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, Cameron Diaz, Beyonce, and Andy Samberg to star in the musical comedy One Hit Wonders.  Murphy will direct and co-write the script with his Glee co-creators Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan.  The story “centers on three singers (Paltrow, Witherspoon, and Diaz) who each scored a top hit song in the 1990s before watching their careers go down the drain, and then team up to form a super-group.”  Samberg, in addition to co-starring, will reportedly write music for the film with his The Lonely Island partners Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer.

Hit the jump for my thoughts on the project.

MACGRUBER DVD Review

by Hunter Daniels    Posted: September 21st, 2010 at 7:24 am

When it was first announced, MacGruber seemed like the most dubious Saturday Night Live movie since It’s Pat!. Unlike previous films based upon the late night sketch show’s characters, MacGruber could not even carry five minutes of screen time. Instead, it managed only one to two, always punctuated by the exact same Aeon Flux-esque closing gag in which all of the protagonists meet an untimely end.

Expectations rose when Lonely Island member Jorma Taccone was placed in the director’s chair backed by the legitimate A-list talents of Ryan Phillipe and Val Kilmer. Suddenly, what had once sounded like the single worst idea for a movie in a great many years had a chance to be the next Wayne’s World, or at least the next Night at the Roxbury.

Is it? No. Not really. But it is very funny. Sometimes. More after the jump:

MACGRUBER’s Will Forte, Jorma Taccone and John Solomon Interview: On Opening Vs. SHREK – “We Will Take Those F—ers Down!”

by Ron Messer    Posted: May 21st, 2010 at 4:52 pm

MacGruber squares off against Shrek Forever After this weekend at the box office, but its star and director aren’t intimidated by a franchise that’s made more than $2.2 billion in ticket sales, worldwide.  MacGruber’s star Will Forte joked, “We will take those f—ers down!”  Director Jorma Taccone quickly added with heavy sarcasm, “Our movie is probably gonna do better than Shrek.  Right?  Let’s be honest.”  More on that, in a bit.

Collider caught up with Forte, Taccone and screenwriter John Solomon at the film’s press day.  Hit the jump for the roundtable’s full audio, along with highlights and plenty of spoilers, including Forte’s desire to do a nude scene with celery, who stole that used vegetable afterward and the gracious gesture by MacGyver star Richard Dean Anderson.

5 Movie Clips from MACGRUBER Starring Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe, and Val Kilmer

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: May 6th, 2010 at 6:10 pm

When Rogue Pictures first announced they were making a MacGruber movie, I’ll admit to thinking it might not work.  After all, MacGruber is based on a very short Saturday Night Live sketch and I wasn’t sure he could make the transition to the big screen.  But based on the reviews out of SXSW where the film premiered, my nervousness was unfounded, as people loved the film and it’s currently at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes!  What I heard was it’s incredibly stupid but incredibly funny.  With a May 21st release date, we’ll all know if the film is as great as people are saying soon.

But if you’d like to get a look at a few scenes now, we’ve been given 5 clips and you can watch them after the jump.

New BEASTLY and MACGRUBER Movie Posters in High Resolution

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 1st, 2010 at 5:37 pm

CBS Films and Universal Studios have sent over high resolution versions of the new Beastly and MacGruber movie posters.  Beastly stars Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer and it’s a  modern-day take on Beauty and the Beast that takes place in New York City.  MacGruber stars Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe, Powers Boothe, Maya Rudolph and Val Kilmer and it’s the feature film version of the Saturday Night Live skit.  While I don’t know anyone that’s seen Beastly, MacGruber screened at SXSW and I’ve heard from friends it’s very stupid but extremely funny.  Sounds like my kind of movie.  Hit the jump for the new posters:

MACGRUBER Viral Video Showcases Hotties with Bodies

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 28th, 2010 at 4:17 pm

A new viral video for Jorma Taccone’s MacGruber has come online.  For those just tuning in here’s the official plot synopsis for MacGruber:

Only one American hero has earned the rank of Green Beret, Navy SEAL and Army Ranger.  Just one operative has been awarded 16 purple hearts, 3 Congressional Medals of Honor and 7 presidential medals of bravery.  And only one guy is man enough to still sport a mullet.  In 2010, Will Forte brings Saturday Night Live’s clueless soldier of fortune to the big screen in the action comedy MacGruber.

In the 10 years since his fiancée was killed, special op MacGruber has sworn off a life of fighting crime with his bare hands.  But when he learns that his country needs him to find a nuclear warhead that’s been stolen by his sworn enemy, Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer), MacGruber figures he’s the only one tough enough for the job.

Assembling an elite team of experts-Lt. Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe) and Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig)-MacGruber will navigate an army of assassins to hunt down Cunth and bring him to justice.  His methods may be unorthodox.  His crime scenes may get messy.  But if you want the world saved right, you call in MacGruber.

You can check out the red-band trailer here and the green-band trailer here.  Hit the jump to see the viral video.  MacGruber hits theaters on April 23rd.

Green Band Trailer for MACGRUBER

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 20th, 2010 at 12:10 pm

After yesterday’s enjoyable red band trailer for MacGruber, Yahoo! Movies has posted the green band trailer for the film and it’s pretty fun in its own right.  Yes, it does redo some of the jokes from the red band with the swearing cut out, and it also avoids the villain’s name (Deiter von Cunth), but there are some new jokes and they work pretty well.  It’s surprising how the dread I felt when the project has slowly transformed into enthusiasm for the comedy.  It’s even more surprising when you consider that the character’s exploits provide minute-long running gags throughout an episode of SNL rather than just one solid sketch.  Hopefully, this film will be surprisingly great and not a revelation that, “Yeah, you should have just held on to that feeling of dread.”

Directed by Jorma Taccone, MacGruber stars Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe, and Val Kilmer.  Check out the trailer after the jump along with a brief synopsis.  MacGruber hits theaters on April 23rd.

MACGRUBER Red Band Trailer and New High Resolution Images

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 19th, 2010 at 9:41 am

The first trailer for MacGruber has hit the net and thankfully it’s red band.  What that means is… the Rogue Pictures comedy starring Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe, Powers Boothe, Maya Rudolph and Val Kilmer doesn’t have to hold back the jokes or the dialogue.

While some of you might be thinking a full length movie based on the SNL character is a dumb idea, I’ve spoken to friends who read the script and they all raved about it.  Also, MacGruber is directed by Jorma Taccone (Hot Rod) and he does all the SNL Digital Shorts and he’s part of The Lonely Island along with Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer.  What I’m trying to tell you is…give this film a chance.  Also, this is the first movie to use the term upper decker.  That makes this must see.  If you don’t know what it is…

Watch the trailer and tell me you didn’t laugh.  Also, we’ve been given a few new high resolution images so take a look:

First Official Images from MACGRUBER Starring Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillipe, and Val Kilmer

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 6th, 2010 at 7:24 pm

Along with the new shots from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Your Highness, Universal has released the first three official images from Jorma Taccone’s upcoming comedy MacGruber starring Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillipe, Maya Rudolph, Val Kilmer, and Powers Boothe.  That’s right:  Powers Boothe.  Get excited.

While it’s based on a (very short) Saturday Night Live sketch that seems ill-suited for a feature film adaptation, an unnamed source who saw a test screening enjoyed the flick.  The reviewer gave some examples of the humor such as MacGruber driving everywhere in a red Miata and a joke where Cunth asks his henchmen why they didn’t capture MacGruber and it was because they didn’t think he was a threat because they thought he was retarded.  Also, apparently no one in the movie really pronounces the last letter of “Cunth”.

Hit the jump to see all three images along with the official synopsis.  MacGruber is slated to hit theaters on April 23rd.

Universal Releases Synopses for GREEN ZONE, MACGRUBER, UNTITLED ROBIN HOOD ADVENTURE, GET HIM TO THE GREEK, YOUR HIGHNESS

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: October 12th, 2009 at 6:20 pm

Universal Studios has released synopses  for some of their major 2010 films and the two that are especially worth reading are “MacGruber” and Ridley Scott’s “Untitled Robin Hood Adventure”. While it might surprise you to hear this, a few people have told me “MacGruber” is going to shock everyone next year as it’s a super-violent, hard-R movie. Also, I’ve heard there are many lines that we’re all going to quote. Did I mention Val Kilmer plays the villain and his name is Dieter Von Cunth? I know, I know–I am just as shocked to report SNL’s “MacGruber” might be a great movie.

As for Ridley Scott’s “Untitled Robin Hood Adventure”, this synopsis is the first real story details I’m hearing about the plot. Since I haven’t watched every version of “Robin Hood”, I’ll let the synopses  do the talking, but I’m pretty sure we’re going to get a better version than Kevin Costner’s “Prince of Thieves”.  Hit the jump for not only “MacGruber” and “Untitled Robin Hood Adventure”, but “Green Zone” starring Matt Damon, “Get Him to the Greek” starring Russell Brand and Jonah Hill, and “Your Highness” starring Danny McBride, James Franco, and Natalie Portman.

Poor Economy Pushes Ryan Phillippe and Val Kilmer to Co-Star in MACGRUBER

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 8th, 2009 at 11:07 am

In what is the definition of a “paycheck movie”, Ryan Phillippe and Val Kilmer, two men who both have acting ability (although certainly Kilmer more than Phillippe) are in negotiations to co-star in the totally unnecessary, completely ill-advised “MacGruber” movie, based off the SNL “sketch”.  I put “sketch” in quotations because calling it a sketch would be charitable.  It is a running-gag that helps break up the painfully long SNL broadcast.  It is humorous.  It is not a movie.  It is not even a TV show.  It is barely a sketch on a good day.

Hit the jump to read about the “plot” and what roles Phillippe and Kilmer would be playing.

Jorma Taccone Signs on to Direct MACGRUBER; Provides Brief Glimmer of Hope

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 7th, 2009 at 12:12 pm

According to ProductionWeekly’s Twitter feed, Jorma Taccone (recently seen as Cha-Ka in “Land of the Lost”) will direct the totally unwanted feature-length adaptation of the SNL sketch “MacGruber” starring Will Forte.  To find out why Taccone’s involvement means the new film may not be the worst thing ever, hit the jump.

LAND OF THE LOST – 6 Movie Clips and 3 Featurettes

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: May 29th, 2009 at 7:48 pm

Opening next weekend is director Brad Silberling’s “Land of the Lost”. As most of you already know, the film is based on the classic series by Sid & Marty Krofft and it stars Will Ferrell as Dr. Rick Marshall and Danny McBride, Anna Friel, and Jorma Taccone also star.

I saw a screening last night and have to say it’s a lot dirtier than I expected. In fact, I was quite surprised at how much they got away with for a PG-13 movie. If you thought this was just going to be some safe family film, you’re in for a surprise.

Anyway, to help promote the film we’ve been provided with six movie clips and three featurettes. They’re all after the jump – along with the full synopsis. Take a look:

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