Too busy cooking meth and being a criminal legend to be a father in Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston’s taking a more involved approach to parenthood in Fox comedy Why Him? Indeed, the title is an apt question to ask in conjunction with Cranston boarding the film, especially as his forthcoming slate of movies veer closer to prestige pics than lightweight mainstream comedies. And make no mistake: this latest one bears all the hallmarks of seasonal family fluff.
Except its director and writer team don’t do fluff. John Hamburg (I Love You, Man, Along Came Polly) is attached to direct and co-write the script with Ian Helfer (The Oranges), which takes place over the holiday season “when a Midwestern dad travels with his family to visit his daughter at college, and soon finds himself in a battle for her affections with her brash new tech billionaire boyfriend.”
Cranston is attached as the father, playing out his parental frustrations on James Franco who has already been cast as his daughter’s rich beau. Both possess a great deal of comedic experience, and ought to be able to imbue what sounds like a slapstick double act with all the necessary silliness.
Before shooting kicks off, Cranston is set to make waves in his blacklisted screenwriter biopic Trumbo, which debuts at TIFF, before lending his vocal talents to Kung Fu Panda 3. He’s also wrapped work on Franco’s latest directorial effort In Dubious Battle, which has the pair starring opposite one another. Clearly their working relationship has legs with the pair recast in another movie so soon after.
We’ll keep you posted on any new developments on Why Him? as they land.