A+E Studios is developing a National Lampoon workplace dramedy, Variety has learned.
The scripted series — titled “Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead” — is based on Douglas Tirola’s 2015 documentary film “Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon,” which was produced by History Films. The doc premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, and aired on History this January.
The project marks A+E Studios first development project for a scripted series using one of A+E Studios’ Indie Films feature documentaries as primary source material.
Tirola’s 4th Row Films will develop and produce the project with A+E Studios with Tirola serving as exec producer and 4th Row’s Susan Bedusa serving as co-exec producer. National Lampoon co-founder Matty Simmons, who produced “Animal House” and National Lampoon’s “Vacation films, will serve as consulting producer.
The documentary film, written by Tirol and Mark Monroe, also hailed from 4th Row Films. It was distributed by Magnolia Pictures, and was exec produced by Molly Thompson, John Battsek and Celia Taylor.
Producers on “Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead” are currently meeting with showrunners, and plan to shop around the fully-packaged project very soon.
