Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson, best known for roles in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Alex Garland’s Ex Machina, has closed a deal to star opposite Will Forte in Netflix’s National Lampoon movie, A Futile and Stupid Gesture.
Per Deadline, it’s understood that Gleeson will assume the role of Henry Beard, who co-founded the esteemed humor magazine with Doug Kenney (Forte), before going on to hatch the likes of Caddyshack and Animal House. Set to be based on Josh Karp’s novel of the same name, A Futile and Stupid Gesture may have its roots in comedy, but Netflix’s drama will ultimately be a tragic one, charting Doug Kenney’s spiral into depression, leading to an untimely death at 33 years young.
Directed by David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer), the context for A Futile and Stupid Gesture outlines Kenny’s tragedy as so:
The negative reviews that Caddyshack received sent Kenney on a downward spiral, and in an effort to lift his spirits, Chevy Chase took him to Hawaii. When Chase had to leave to return to work, Kenney’s girlfriend flew down. She stayed until she also had to leave to get back to work, but as Chase was preparing to fly back down, he got a phone call that Kenney was missing. His body was found at the bottom of the cliff, with his death at the age of 33 officially ruled an accident albeit somewhat unclear as to whether it might be a suicide.
Set to be produced by Peter Principato and Jonathan Stern, Netflix is yet to nail down a premiere date for A Futile and Stupid Gesture, though we’ll be keeping track of the company’s National Lampoon movie as it enters production in the coming weeks.
