Were you a fan of RED, the 2010 action comedy featuring over-the-hill assassins who've still got some gas left in the their tanks? Are you looking forward to watching Jason Statham battle a megalodon when THE MEG swims into theaters? You are? Then you might be pleased to know that the writing duo behind each of those films (and more), Jon and Erich Hoeber, have been hired to pen a family action-comedy starring GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and BLADE RUNNER: 2049's Dave Bautista. According to reports, the project is looking to be built as a potential franchise for the former wrestling and mixed martial arts behemoth, which Bautista will also produce.
The yet-to-be-titled project will center on a hardened CIA operative (Bautista) who finds himself at the mercy of a precocious 9-year-old girl, having been sent undercover to surveil her family. As I'd mentioned earlier, Bautista will produce the feature, though what I didn't include was that he'll be doing so with Jonathan Meisner by his side.
In more recent news concerning the brotherly writing duo, Jon and Erich Hoeber had recently contributed to the making of THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS, a peculiar film set in an L.A. underbelly where puppets and humans co-exist. It explores the volatile report between two clashing detectives — one human (Melissa McCarthy) and the other a puppet — who are forced to work together to solve the mystery of who is murdering the former cast of The Happytime Gang, a beloved classic puppet show.
We already know that Bautista has comedic bones in his very large body, as evidenced by his work as Drax for Marvel's GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY. Do you think he has what it takes to lead a family comedy, or for that matter, a new franchise? Let's just keep our fingers crossed that the big guy doesn't land himself in a situation akin to Dwayne Johnson's THE GAME PLAN or Vin Diesel's THE PACIFIER, for reasons.
Meanwhile, THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS starring Melissa McCarthy is expected to arrive in theaters on August 17th.