Earlier this month, Saturday Night Live alum Bill Hader showed off some suprising dramatic chops in Sundance hit The Skeleton Twins (check out Dominic Mill’s four-star review here), and it looks like the actor is shaping up to have a truly terrific year. Hader has just entered negotiations to take on a lead role in Knocked Up director Judd Apatow’s next big-screen comedy vehicle, the Amy Schumer-starring Trainwreck.
Though the film’s script, which was penned by Schumer, is being kept tightly under wraps, at least for now, we do know that it will center around a basket case (Schumer) who attempts to get her life back on track, dragging her boyfriend, best friend and parents along for the ride. Though Hader’s role has not been specified as of yet, we’re betting he’ll play the boyfriend.
Trainwreck is intended to serve as a starring vehicle for the comedienne. Her Comedy Central show Inside Amy Schumer premiered last year and will begin its second season this April. Apatow clearly sees something in Schumer, and Universal Pictures has shown a large amount of confidence in the film as well, setting it for release in the intensely crowded summer of 2015.
Recruiting Hader was definitely a smart move on Apatow’s part. The popular comedian is known for supporting roles in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, The To-Do List and Clear History, but The Skeleton Twins proved that he is more than capable of carrying a film on his own. I fully expect to see his name get top billing in many of his future big-screen ventures.
Apatow will produce and direct Trainwreck for Universal Pictures. His last two directorial efforts, This is 40 and Funny People, were both unfortunately middling comedies, so hopefully this film will also succeed as a raunchy return to form for the A-list director.
Are you a fan of Hader’s deadpan style? If so, do you think it will pair well with Schumer’s bawdy, in-your-face brand of humor? Sound off below!
Trainwreck is set for release on July 24, 2015.