Variety just put up a story that I'd link you to if they weren't hidden behind a paywall these days.  Oh, well.  I guess I'll just have to paraphrase and share the good news with you m'self.

When I was at Sundance, I was walking out of the "Cyrus" premiere at the Eccles, desperate to get to a bus for the next screening, and I ran into a group of familiar faces standing together outside, including Danny McBride, Jody Hill, and David Gordon Green.  They all seemed really excited by what they'd just seen, and we talked for a moment about the Duplass Brothers film and how "Your Hightness" is shaping up and finally about Rough House Pictures, the new company they just set up as part of Mandate Pictures.  Their assigned task is to develop small comedy films that can be delivered at a price, and it sounds like they're already up and running.

For example, today they announced that Jody will direct "L.A.P.I.", a Los Angeles-based detective film that will star Danny.  That combination is reason for comedy fans to rejoice, and even without any further story details being known, consider that one of my most-anticipated films right now.  What I find interesting is that the script for the film did not originate with McBride and Hill, a la "Foot Fist Way." 

Instead, they bought the idea as a pitch by writers Michael Diliberti and Matthew Sullivan, who were on the Black List last year for two separate scripts:  "30 Minutes Or Less" and "Comic-Con."  I've got both scripts here but hadn't gotten around to reading them yet.  This announcement pretty much moves them to the top of the reading stack, because I'd like to see what their voice is like.  I'm curious to see what sort of fit they'll be with Hill and McBride, who have such a particular comic sensibility.

I'll be really curious to see what sort of timetable this happens on, since they've got to make the second season of "East Bound And Down" before they jump into another feature film, I'm guessing.  I'm also really curious to see what becomes of that "southern 'Godfather'" Hill mentioned he was thinking about writing after "Observe & Report." 

Whatever the case, these guys are right on the frontline of the sort of comedy I like most, and I have my fingers crossed that whatever "L.A.P.I." is, it delivers on the promise of their first film together.

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