After directing a slew of successful comedies such asThe 40 Year Old Virgin,Knocked Upand the upcomingTrainwreck,Judd Apatowis taking on a more serious project withRedeployment. The filmmaker is working with authorPhil Klay, who wrote the National Book Award-winning short story collectionRedeployment, althoughJudd Apatowrevealed that they are writing an original screenplay. While the project does sound like it’s based on his book, the filmmaker revealed he’s trying to find the right balance between comedy and drama.
“I’m writing a screenplay withPhil Klay, who wrote this great bookRedeployment, about soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and their time there and what happens when they come home. We’ve been writing an original screenplay, and that’s a different experience, trying to write a comedy with drama or a drama with comedy about those people and what they’ve gone through. Hopefully in an entertaining way so it’s not one of these depressing movies you don’t want to see. But just about, what happens to soldiers who return to a country that isn’t even that aware that we’re at war?”
Since this project is quite far out of his “wheelhouse,” so to speak, the director added that he feels he’s mined about as much as he can from the comedy world.
“I do think, ‘Well, what else is there to cover??’ I did birth and death and marriage and family and comedy. And I realize there’s really not much left. […] But I do feel, I’ve made a pretty good high school show and a college show and a pretty good young adult show, first sex, first relationship, marriage, older marriage, death, comedy. I’ve covered a lot of my bases. So right now I’m like, I’m not sure what to write about.”
It isn’t known how far alongJudd ApatowandPhil Klayare on the screenplay, or when he may start production. Are you looking forward toJudd Apatow’sRedeployment? Or do you think he should stick to comedy?
