May 03, 2023
Adam McKay's latest film, the comedic political thriller "Average Height, Average Build," has been acquired by Netflix, the streaming platform that currently houses his most recent film, "Don't Look Up."
McKay, a director known for his work on films like "The Big Short" and "Vice," will write, direct and produce the project for distribution on Netflix. Production of the film is set to begin this summer in Boston, though the project does not yet have a release date, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The movie stars Robert Pattinson as a serial killer who enlists the help of a political lobbyist, played by Amy Adams, to change laws that will help him get away with murders more easily, Deadline reported. The two actors will join a star-studded cast that includes Forest Whitaker, "Till" actress Danielle Deadwyler and Robert Downey Jr. as a retired police officer obsessed with the murders.
Most of the actors are newcomers to McKay's films, though Adams previously worked with the director on 2018's "Vice." The cast is expected to grow further before production begins later this year, The AV Club reported. It's unclear whether "Average Height, Average Build" will have a limited theatrical release before it hits Netflix, though fans were able to see "Don't Look Up" on the big screen before its Netflix drop in 2021.
That dark comedy about the end of the world was released on Netflix on Christmas Eve in 2021 after about two weeks in theaters. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as low-level astronomers who go on a media tour to warn the world about a comet the size of Mount Everest set to hit Earth within six months and destroy the planet — but nobody seems to care.
The film features appearances from Jonah Hill, Timotheé Chalamet, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Tyler Perry, Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi. It was named one of AFI's Movies of the Year in 2021. McKay and co-director David Sirota also won the Writer's Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Early last year, McKay was tapped to co-produce "J6," an exploration and retelling of the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. McKay is expected to team up with director Billy Ray for the project. Additional information has yet to be released.
McKay had also planned to write and direct "Bad Blood," a film about disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes. But it's unclear if the film will continue production, as Lawrence, who'd signed on to play Holmes, dropped out after seeing Amanda Seyfried's Emmy-winning performance of Holmes in Hulu's "The Dropout," The Wrap reported.
McKay was born in Denver, but spent most of his childhood in Malvern, where he graduated from Great Valley High School in 1986. He later attended Penn State and Temple University, but he dropped out to pursue a career in comedy writing, acting and producing. McKay said that his love for movies began in Philadelphia.
