Though he’s usually known for his Will Ferrell comedies, like Anchorman (and its sequel) and Step Brothers, director Adam McKay will be switching gears a bit to helm The Big Short, an adaptation of Michael Lewis’ best-selling novel of the same name. Brad Pitt is set to produce under his Plan B banner with Paramount handling the film’s release.
For those unfamiliar with the source material, it revolves around the housing/credit bubble of the 2000s. Here’s the full plot summary:
The real story of the crash began in bizarre feeder markets where the sun doesn’t shine and the SEC doesn’t dare, or bother, to tread: the bond and real estate derivative markets where geeks invent impenetrable securities to profit from the misery of lower–and middle–class Americans who can’t pay their debts. The smart people who understood what was or might be happening were paralyzed by hope and fear; in any case, they weren’t talking.
Michael Lewis creates a fresh, character-driven narrative brimming with indignation and dark humor, a fitting sequel to his #1 bestseller Liar’s Poker. Out of a handful of unlikely–really unlikely–heroes, Lewis fashions a story as compelling and unusual as any of his earlier bestsellers, proving yet again that he is the finest and funniest chronicler of our time.
An official press release from the studio offered the following:
“Michael Lewis has the amazing ability to take complex formulas and concepts and turn them into page turners. Plan B and I connected over that breathless quality the book has. Very excited to jump into this,” said McKay.
“There are those rare literary treasures – as with “THE BIG SHORT” – that park in the harbor and you just wait, with hope. Adam McKay is a singular voice and talent and a ferocious mind – the vector of Adam and this book is what a producer dreams of,” stated a Plan B representative.
Admittedly, McKay is kind of an odd choice here. Given that most of his work has been with Will Ferrell and in the comedy genre, I’m not exactly sure what made Paramount think he’s the right man for a story like the one that The Big Short presents. Then again, stranger things have happened and McKay has given us some of the funniest films of the last decade, so there’s no reason to doubt the fact that he’ll be able to switch genres with ease. Besides, from the description above, it sounds like Lewis’ novel does have a bit of humor in it, so maybe that aspect will be played up in the film in order to cater to McKay.
Regardless, Michael Lewis is an excellent author and having loved Moneyball (also based on one of his novels), I’m very excited to see The Big Short hit theatres.
