The pairing of actors Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly has always proved popular, with their previous two collaborations – Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Step Brothers– bringing in a combined box office total of over $290 million.
Head honchos at Sony seem keen to build on that, as news of a third collaboration trickled out of Hollywood this week. Yes Man writers Andrew Mogul and Jarrad Paul are confirmed to have penned the original script for Devil’s Night, which Sony and Gary Sanchez Productions (run by Ferrell and Adam McKay) are pulling together for Ferrell and Reilly to star in.
The story focuses on Leonard and Gabe, who became the very best of friends in childhood having bonded over Devil’s Night traditions. For the uninitiated, Devil’s Night is the night before Halloween, when pranksters get up to all manner of neighbourhood mischief – and such mischief ultimately drives the best friends apart. Fast forward fifteen years, however, and Leonard and Gabe must reunite to save their neighbourhood from certain destruction, when the younger generation of Devil’s Night revellers start to get out of control.
The news of this third collaboration will be music to the ears for fans of the Ferrell/Reilly comedic team. Having carried their first two films to box office glory, those fans have kept the movies alive with Quote-a-thons and boosted ratings per TV repeat. While it seemed like an odd pairing at first, with Reilly’s body of work leaning towards more dramatic fare instead of more towards Ferrell’s comedic brand (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, The Other Guys), once they had met, it was only a matter of time before they brought their off-screen camaraderie to the big screen.
Speaking to Metro (UK) in February 2013, Reilly explained why his teaming with Ferrell works so well:
“We just really hit it off. I feel like I’ve known him since we were kids. There are a lot of comedians who are very dark and competitive, but he’s not like that at all. He’s just a very decent guy.”
Though their Devil’s Night project may be in its very early stages, we may well see Ferrell and Reilly reunite sooner, as the actor is rumoured to have a small role in the upcoming Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, which is currently scheduled to arrive on December 20th, 2013.