Robert Ben Garant

Ben Stiller Replaces Russell Brand in RENTAGHOST; Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant to Write and Produce

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 12th, 2011 at 1:05 pm

Last December, Russell Brand signed on to Rentaghost based on the British children’s TV series that ran from 1976 to 1984.  The show centered around a company that rents out ghosts to perform various tasks, and Brand was set to play “Fred Mumford, a recently deceased loser who feels he can find work for ghosts whose lives were as failed as his.”  However, Deadline now reports that Brand has dropped out of the film and has been replaced by Ben Stiller who will partner with his Night at the Museum writers Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant.

The plot will now have Stiller playing “an American turnaround consultant who is sent to the UK to reinvigorate a failing company.”  Fox sees it as another strong family franchise and I see it as another film where Stiller will be the straight man to a cast of zany ghosts who help him to learn a valuable lesson.  Hit the jump for a recap of other films Stiller has in the pipeline.

Robert Ben Garant Adapting Japanese Graphic Novel TUX for Disney

by Jason Barr    Posted: August 4th, 2011 at 4:04 pm

The guy who co-wrote the book on writing movies for fun and profit (no, but really) has landed another gig. Robert Ben Garant, who recently released the book Writing Movies for Fun and Profit with his writing partner Thomas Lennon, has signed on to adapt the Japanese graphic novel Tuxedo Gin for Disney. The project’s title will be shortened to Tux and, according to Deadline, will center on a young street fighter who receives a tough lesson in karma upon lapsing into a coma.

As writer/artist Tokihiko Matsuura’s story goes, the fighter’s selfish earthly ways lead to him being reincarnated as a penguin, an obstacle he must overcome if he wishes to return to his less penguin-like state and former flame alike. Garant will executive produce the film alongside Isamu Kamei. In addition to Tux, Garant also has writing credits on titles such as Night at the Museum, Herbie Fully Loaded, Balls of Fury, The Pacifier, and Reno 911!. Recently, he and Garant co-wrote the screenplay for the action/comedy The Machine starring Vin Diesel.

Vin Diesel to Produce and Star in Action-Comedy THE MACHINE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 19th, 2011 at 1:02 pm

Vin Diesel provided the voice for eponymous character in 1999′s The Iron Giant and he’s about go back to robotics.  Heat Vision reports that Diesel will produce and star in the action comedy The Machine for MGM.  Diesel will play “a human-like machine created in secrecy by the Pentagon as the world’s first true ultimate weapon. Twenty years after the project was buried and decommissioned for reasons unknown, The Machine is discovered by a kid who befriends him. When the government learns it has been reactivated, the Machine must protect the family harboring him.”  So it’s kind of like The Iron Giant except without the charming animation.

Hit the jump for more details on the film and why I don’t think we’re getting anything close to the level of quality seen in The Iron Giant.

Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant Take on THE WEE MCGINTY

by Jason Barr    Posted: January 5th, 2011 at 5:13 pm

Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant will write the Summit Entertainment comedy The Wee McGinty.  In addition to splitting scribe duties, the Night of the Museum writing team/Reno 911! cohorts will also take on further responsibilities with Garant set to direct and Lennon poised to take on a supporting role in the film.  In case you were curious, Garant’s previous feature directorial work can be found in two 2007 films – Reno 911!: Miami and Balls of Fury.  As for Lennon, he can be seen in the upcoming comedy Cedar Rapids alongside John C. Reilly, Ed Helms, and Sigourney Weaver.  That film will debut later this month at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

Per Deadline, The Wee McGinty tells the story of a “height-challenged wish-granter who loses his memory and settles in with a group of Chicago firefighters” only to have his peaceful existence challenged by his long-lost leprechaun family.  At first glance, I can’t decide if this sounds crazy or so crazy it might work.  I suppose only time will tell.

SDCC 2010: THE GOON Panel

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 23rd, 2010 at 9:38 pm

I’ll be honest: I am not familiar with Eric Powell’s popular comic book series The Goon.  However, people I trust not only say the comic is terrific, but they told me that the panel for the film adaptation for the past several years has been hilarious.  After going to this year’s panel and listening to actor Robert Ben Garant (Reno 911!) banter with Powell, Tim Miller and Jeff Fowler of Blur Studio (who are animating the film), voice actor Paul Giamatti, and producer David Fincher, I will tell you this: I’m going to make sure I’m damn familiar with The Goon.  Not only did it deliver on this promised hilarity, but even more than the panel for Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, this one relies on the fans in a big way.  You see, The Goon doesn’t have a green light.  It has a teaser that’s trying to raise interest for a movie that doesn’t have studio backing yet.  That means the fans need to go online and let people know they love it.  Needless to say, they loved it and they’re going to go online and let people know that.

Hit the jump for my thoughts on the panel and why I’m not leaving Comic-Con without at least the first volume of the series in my suitcase.

NBC Calls 911, Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant Answer

by Charles Mihelich    Posted: October 12th, 2009 at 9:31 pm

“Reno 911!” was a great show that never should have lasted as long as it did.  After one of the funniest first seasons in TV history, the show struggled to maintain an identity and stretched the talents of its very talented improv performers to their absolute limits.  Head writers Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant, and Kerri Kenney-Silver were consistently the funniest and most enjoyable to watch, and now Lennon and Garant have teamed up to pen and star in a multi-camera comedy for NBC.  More after the jump.

RENO 911!: The Complete Sixth Season DVD Review

by Aaron Roxby    Posted: August 9th, 2009 at 9:45 pm

Reno 911! is comedy TV’s old reliable. While it has never really captured the zeitgeist in the way that something like South Park or, hell, even Mind of Mencia did, for the last six years it has been chugging along, quietly producing one of the funniest and raunchiest shows on the air.

Created by former State-ers (is that the term? I prefer ‘Statesmen’) Thomas Lennon, Kerri Kenney and Robert Ben Garant, Reno is a completely improvised faux TV-documentary series. Sort of a cross between Cops and a Christopher Guest film, minus the former’s bleakness and the later’s earnestness.  Basically, they take a bunch of locations, add some incredibly talented comedians, film them for a few hours and then splice the footage, vignette style, over the course of the season.

Vote for Thomas Lennon for the MTV Movie Awards Best Kiss. Or He’ll Punch You in the Dick.

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 22nd, 2009 at 7:00 pm

Ladies, you don’t know this, but getting punched in the dick, really hurts.  Like, a lot.  I mean, I’ve heard that childbirth is really bad and painful but that can only happen at a roughly pre-determined time and plus you’ve had like nine months to prepare.  No one sends guys a notice saying “Nine months from now, expect a punch in the dick.”  If they did, we’d wear cups.

So I take Thomas Lennon’s threat of punching people in the dick very seriously.  I mean, I wasn’t that invested in the Best Kiss category of the MTV Movie Awards and I already voted for his liplock with Paul Rudd in “I Love You, Man” but I kind of think I should vote again just to be on the safe side.

My question is what’s Lennon going to do when all the “Twilight” fans beat him by voting for Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.  Girls don’t have dicks.  YOUR MOVE, LENNON.

Check out Thomas Lennon’s campaign video/threat after the jump and click here to vote for him, especially if you’re a guy.  Your dick will thank you.

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM – BATTLE OF THE SMITHONIAN Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 21st, 2009 at 9:20 pm

“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithonian” is exactly the kind of movie cynics lament when they speak of big summer spectacles.  Being cynics, they over-generalize and sometimes incorrectly brand some summer movies as committing the crimes of big-budget, celebrity-stuffed, empty-headed spectacle that’s nothing but an exercise in trying to separate consumers from their wallets as they turn off their brains and watch pretty colors and sounds for a hundred minutes. But Shawn Levy’s unnecessary sequel is guilty as charged.

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