MRC and Ben Stiller’s Red Hour Films are reteaming on a remake of 2010 French film “Le Mac,” with “The Hangover” star Ed Helms toplining and producing.
The original French pic, directed by Pascal Bourdiaux, follows a mild-mannered banker forced to masquerade as a notorious gangster and pimp. Thomas Langemann of Le Petite Reine produced the original and will exec produce the remake. Johnny Rosenthal (“Bad Santa 2”) sold the pitch to MRC and is writing the project, which is in the early stages of development.
Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld’s Red Hour Films, which recently produced MRC’s “30 Minutes or Less,” is also producing the laffer along with Guy Stodel (“Be Kind Rewind”), the former Paramount Vantage chief who brought the project to Helms before MRC came onboard.
MRC has been raising its comedy profile of late, with Seth MacFarlane directing Mark Wahlberg in “Ted” and Emma Stone expected to star in Michael Diliberti’s “Little White Corvette.”
Helms most recently starred in Fox Searchlight’s “Cedar Rapids” and co-starred in “The Hangover Part II,” which has grossed more than $580 million worldwide. Thesp next stars in the Duplass brothers comedy “Jeff Who Lives at Home,” which premieres at the Toronto Film Festival in advance of Par Vantage’s platform release on March 2. Helms, who plays Andy Bernard on NBC’s “The Office,” also voices the Once-ler in Illumination Entertainment’s upcoming adaptation of Dr. Suess’ “The Lorax.”
Helms is repped by CAA and Principato-Young, while Paradigm and Apostle Management rep Rosenthal.
