In director news today, Kevin Pollak (The Usual Suspects) is attached to helm the comedic documentary, Misery Loves Comedy.  The feature will delve into the minds of stand-up comics and professional comedians through interviews, days-in-the-life, and historical footage to gain insight into the unique personality trait that causes people to want to perform in front of a group of strangers.  Appearances include Michael Ian Black, Rob Delaney, Jon Favreau, Paul Feig, Jim Gaffigan, Christopher Guest, and Chris Hardwick.

Director Simon Rumley (Red White & Blue) has also been tapped to direct a feature, the paranormal-themed The Last Word.  Hit the jump for more on both projects

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From Heat Vision, Rumley will direct The Last Word, based on the true story of the strange events that plagued "participants in the trial of a young man in Texas who was wrongly convicted and executed for the rape and murder of a nun."  The film was scripted by Ben Ketai (Devil's Trade).

Here's the press release on Pollak's Misery Loves Comedy for more details:

KEVIN POLLAK TO DIRECT DOCUMENTARY “MISERY LOVES COMEDY”

FOR HERETIC FILMS AND NEWALEY PICTURES

Feature Documentary Probes the Comic Psyche

Los Angeles, September 3, 2013 – Kevin Pollak will direct the documentary Misery Loves Comedy for producers Becky Newhall of Newaley Pictures and Burton Ritchie and Ben Galecki of Heretic Films, it was announced today.

Misery Loves Comedy will explore the mind of the stand-up comic and all those who choose to write or perform comedy as a profession.  Pollack uses interviews, day-in-the-life sequences, archival and historic footage and photos, observations, essays and insights to explore why a person gets on stage in front of a room full of strangers when, in fact, public speaking is all other Americans' #1 fear, even above death.

Pollak and the producers have assembled a veritable who’s who of comedic talent both onstage and off.  A partial list of includes: Michael Ian Black, Rob Delaney, Jon Favreau, Paul Feig, Jim Gaffigan, Christopher Guest, Chris Hardwick, Penn Jillette, Richard Kind, Lisa Kudrow, Richard Lewis, Marc Maron, Jim Norton, Opie & Anthony, Jason Reitman, Andy Richter, Bob Saget, David Wain, Alan Zweibel and many more.

"My hope is that we shed all new light on the pain behind the humor, but also uncover more about the minds and hearts of comedians than any of us think we know," said Pollak.

“As a true fan of stand-up comedy, I wanted to produce this film to better understand the inner workings of the comic,” said Newhall.  “Burton and I look forward to working with Kevin to help audiences gain insight into these amazing artists.”

Comedy Central named the multi-talented Pollak one of their Top 100 Comedians of All Time. He’s co-starred in over 70 films, including The Usual Suspects, Casino and A Few Good Men, and hosts Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show, featuring 90 minute plus interviews with filmmakers, actors and comedians, available on iTunes, YouTube and Earwolf.com.

Heretic Films is an independent movie production company that creates value by identifying and nurturing emerging talent while offering superlative platforms for established artists to fulfill their creative goals.  Heretic provides a uniquely engaging experience for the project’s investors and partners by offering inclusion in the behind the scenes magic of making films.

NewAley Pictures is an independent film production company that seeks to produce high quality, commercially viable yet impactful documentaries, that will not only entertain audiences, but educate them as well.