I know that most of you have seen Napoleon Dynamite. I am equally certain that most of you can quote one, if not more, lines from that aforementioned film of awkward hilarity. But you might not be aware of what Jared and Jerusha Hess have done since they unleashed Napoleon and his weird clique on an unsuspecting world. Lionsgate is hoping that you will still have some passion left for their work, though, as they picked up the Hess’ new film Don Verdean very quickly at Sundance.
Lionsgate acquired the film for U.S. distribution several days in advance of its premiere at Sundance – which either says that the studio is hard up for new releases, or that they have great faith in what the Hesses have produced.
For those who don’t know, Don Verdean features Sam Rockwell as a biblical archaeologist hired by a pastor to find artifacts from the Holy Land. He fails, as we suspected he would, but the results are likely to be pretty funny, if not uproarious. Bolstered by a cast that also includes Jemaine Clement, Amy Ryan, and Will Forte, Don Verdean should be good fun.
The Napoleon Dynamite duo have not done so well in the years since their 2004 hit film made waves. Their next project was Nacho Libre, followed by Gentlemen Broncos (which also featured Rockwell and Clement). Neither film was terribly popular, although both have been rather unfairly maligned. Broncos in particular has an earnest dedication to awkwardness that made Napoleon Dynamite so enjoyable. Still, we can hope that Don Verdean will fare slightly better at the box office than the previous two outings. As far as I am concerned, the Hesses are due for a hit.
Don Verdean will premiere at Sundance on January 28, after which we can expect a U.S. release date in fairly short order.
