Among the many pleasures of the great Roger Ebert documentary Life Itself is the reminder - or, for some, the revelation - that before he was a titan of film criticism, Ebert wrote Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls for schlockmeister Russ Meyer. A new indie project, Russ & Roger Go Beyond aims to tell the story of that collaboration and Will Ferrell is seriously considering playing Meyer.
The indie movie, written by Saturday Night Live and Simpsons veteran Christopher Cluess, focuses on Meyer's late 1960s desire to combine his pulp talents with big studio backing, hashing out a deal with 20th Century Fox boss Richard Zanuck to produce something for a low budget.
Targeting soft-core tale Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls, Meyer approached Ebert, then a low-on-the-roster film critic for the Chicago Sun Times, who had written one of the few positive reviews of a Meyer film. Despite the seeming gulf between their sensibilities, they meshed well, producing a film that struggled with the ratings board (eventually landing an X) and sparking a friendship that would last until Meyer died in 2004.
According to Deadline, there’s no deal in place yet, but Ferrell is seriously interested and the producers, including Mark Amin, David Permut and Richard Waltzer are trying to lock down a director. They’ve apparently had interest from a diverse range, including Edgar Wright, and hope to kick off production early next year. The big question now, of course, will be who can play Ebert, with names such as Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen already floating about. For those wanting to learn more about the man himself, **Life Itself **hits our screens on November 14.