Marlon Wayans to Direct and Star Opposite Essence Atkins in Found Footage Spoof SMART ASS

With the release of Chronicle last week, the found footage genre finally crossed the threshold of public consciousness required for parody.  Marlon Wayans, the writer and star of such spoofs as Scary Movie and Dance Flick, is up to the task.  Not only will Wayans star opposite Essence Atkins in Smart Ass, described as “a spoof of a various found-footage pics like Paranormal Activity and The Devil Inside Me.”  According to Variety, this is also Wayans’ directorial debut with co-director Mike Tiddes.  Filming on the independent production is now underway in Los Angeles.

Though Wayans has mostly been a critical punching bag in the last decade, there are a lot of pieces here that appeal to me.  With all the tics and affectations of the genre, found footage is fertile ground for this satirical treatment.  And 10-year-old me watched a lot of Wayans on his The WB sitcom The Wayans Bros., and even more of Atkins on Smart Guy.  (She played the sister of a pugnacious little shorty with 1000 IQ.)  I will try to wait until at least the trailer to write this one off.