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Adam McKay Eyeing Reunion With Will Ferrell And John C. Reilly For New Immigrant Comedy

On the heels of steering economic crisis movie The Big Short into an awards success story - bonkers hairpieces and all - Adam McKay is already looking further afield to get his next project up and running. While a direct sequel to Step Brothers has long been on the cards, it's been revealed that the director's next creative venture may spell a reunion with Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, but for something new entirely.

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On the heels of steering economic crisis movie The Big Short into an awards success story – bonkers hairpieces and all – Adam McKay is already looking further afield to get his next project up and running. While a direct sequel to Step Brothers has long been on the cards, it’s been revealed that the director’s next creative venture may spell a reunion with Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, but for something new entirely.

Pulled from a roundtable chat at DGA studios from late last year (via The Playlist), McKay recently featured on the latest episode of The Director’s Cut podcast alongside fellow filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson. It was here that the former dropped a tantalizing teaser regarding his next project, which could send Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly out to defend America’s borders as two patriotic buffoons.

“I’m actually talking with [Will] Ferrell and John C. Reilly about doing a comedy about two guys who go down to defend America’s borders against the immigrants, and I’m pretty excited about it,” McKay said. “We actually have Jesse Armstrong who wrote ‘In The Loop’— [he’s] delivering a draft, I think, next week.”

That’s not the only hint that Adam McKay offered. Those of you who have seen The Big Short will know that the director played fast and loose with camerawork, flying in the face of convention by utilizing a handheld for comedic scenes. For McKay, it’s a style that he may very well double down on for said border comedy.

“I was amazed you could get good laughs [with that style],” he explained. “The theory in comedy is that you have to frame very traditionally so the performance or the logic is what gets the laugh, but I dunno, I’m thinking with this next movie going more handheld than I’ve ever gone.”

Capturing a story using this approach lends the film a heightened sense of realism, meaning if Adam McKay really is to commit to the immigration feature such a style ought to make room for a healthy dose of timely satire. Besides, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly have showcased an almost effortless chemistry when they share the screen, and we’re hoping the pair are given the chance to reunite sooner rather than later.