Here Comes The Boom marks a transitional point in Kevin James career. The film blends the slapstick/absurdist comedy James is known for (The King of Queens, Paul Blart: Mall Cop) with a newfound emotional and dramatic context. James stars as Scott Voss, a worn-down teacher, who almost by-accident volunteers to save the Arts Program at his flailing high school. Somehow MMA Fighting becomes his only solution to raise the appropriate sums. The film alternates between comic set pieces of James fighting (i.e. getting his ass kicked) and more poignant moments on the nature of public education in the country. It’s a film where James for the most part – plays ‘straight man’, the cast around him (Henry Winkler, Salma Hayek) given more room to go ‘wacky’ and/or ‘funny’. It’s an interesting change of pace for James, especially given the fact that he co-wrote the film and part for himself.  Click here for all our previous coverage.

In the following interview with Kevin James, he discusses the process of writing for himself, taking a punch (and a kick or two) for the film and previews the upcoming Kevin Hart costarring Valet Guys. For the full interview hit the jump.

We’ve got a few casting stories to share this afternoon.  Briefly:

• Kevin Hart is joining Kevin James in the comedy Valet Guys.
• Alexander Ludwig (The Hunger Games) joins the cast of Grown Ups 2.
• SNL cast member Taran Killam has joined Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender in Twelve Years a Slave.
• Chris Diamantopoulos has been added to Empire State alongside Dwayne Johnson and Liam Hemsworth.

Hit the jump for more on each casting addition.

In recent “fat guy in ‘funny’ situations” movie news, Sony Pictures has made a deal for a film set to star Adam Sandler and Kevin James as valets. Valet Guys is being set up as a starring vehicle for Sandler and James as two valet parking guys who witness a murder and are forced to go on the run.  The project will be written by James and his writing partner Nick Bakay (Paul Blart: Mall Cop).  Bakay also wrote the upcoming James starrer Zookeeper, for which you can watch the (painful) trailer for here.

Deadline reports that Valet Guys will be a co-production between James’ Hey Eddie, Sandler’s Happy Madison, and Todd Garner’s Broken Road. Those three companies also produced Zookeeper. No matter how spectacularly unfunny most of James and some of Sandler’s movies may be, they sure do make money. James will next be seen this January in Ron Howard’s The Dilemma, and Zookeeper opens on July 8, 2011. Sandler’s film Just Go With It, with Jennifer Aniston hits theaters on February 11, and he’s currently filming Jack and Jill, in which he plays both a brother and sister.