Mike Myers to play improv mentor Del Close in upcoming Del biopic

About seven years ago, I bumped into Mike Myers while attending a concert in downtown Brooklyn, New York. The line up was a Yo La Tengo spin-off group called DUMP, an intimate performance by Oneida drummer Kid Millions, my friends The Sloppy Heads, and evidently, a performance by one of Mr. Myers personal musician friends. We exchanged a few words, shook hands, and sat in the row next to one another throughout the duration of the show. Later, my car got towed down to the Port Authority and it cost me over $300 to get back. Womp womp!

Today, it’s been announced that comedian Mike Myers will assume the role of one of his own mentors, Del Close, in the upcoming Betty Thomas biopic entitled DEL. Close was known primarily for his work at Chicago’s Second City, where he trained such talents as Myers, John Belushi, Tina Fey, Dan Aykroyd, and Bill Murray in the art of making people laugh on the spot.

Myers will bring the passion and comedic stylings of Del Close to life on the big screen by way of a story that will show how the talented teacher pushed his students to their limit, helped shatter the walls of their on-stage fears, and the importance of always leaving the stage with a solid joke ringing in the stale night air.

Nick Torokvei will write the screenplay for the film, which is set to be produced by Covert Media’s Paul Hanson in a partnership with Betty Thomas, The Second City’s Diane Alexander, Robert Teitel of Street Pictures and Thruline Entertainment’s Ron West. Additionally, Andrew Alexander, Covert’s Elissa Friedman, Media Content Capital’s Sasha Shapiro and Anton Lessine, and Thruline's Chris Henze will act as the film’s executive producers.

When speaking about the film, Paul Hanson had this to say about comedian and once a student of Del Close taking on the role:

Mike Myers is a comedy genius and the perfect actor to inhabit this complicated, funny, poignant character. A pioneer of his craft, Close has passed his knowledge of humor and improv to the group of comedians that everyone knows today and this hilarious script examines that intimate relationship with his students that has made them so successful.

There are no details as to the release window for DEL just yet, but you can catch Mike Myers starring alongside Margot Robbie and Simon Pegg in a thriller called TERMINAL later this year.