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You might as well call the 2000s the decade of the parodies. You had hilariously funny parodies such as the Scary movie series, Date Movie, Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, Superhero Movie and Tropic Thunder all come out during this time period. And we can't forget about one of the most memorable parodies of them all, Not Another Teen Movie. This film is currently streaming on Netflix, and we can't wait to rewatch it!

Not Another Teen Movie is a teen parody movie that was directed by Joel Gallen from a screenplay co-written by Michael G. Bender, Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson, Phil Beauman, and Buddy Johnson. It was released in theaters by Sony Pictures Releasing in December 2001, ultimately grossing a worldwide total of $66.5 million against a $15 million budget.

While the film's plot is mainly based on the '90s teen rom-com She's All That, it also satirizes other popular...

Podcast producer Glisten+ (a portmanteau of “great” and “listen”) launched Tuesday with two initial programs, part of a larger slate of scripted fare that it plans to roll out in the coming months.

The first original series include the young adult-geared “Can’t Relax,” about a relaxation app that secretly places murderous messages into the brains of its teen listeners. The supernatural thriller features Olivia Trujillo (“For All Mankind”), Andre Robinson (“Cheaper by the Dozen”) and Patrick Labyorteaux (“NCIS”).

The other show is fantasy adventure “League of Wonder,” which follows a Yorkshire terrier who teams up with a rag-tag group of animal heroes to rescue Dorothy Gale and a pair of magical slippers. The show stars Donovan Patton (“Blue’s Clues), Makgotso M (“The Woman King”), Eric Petersen (“Kevin Can F**k Himself”) and Robbie Jarvis (“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”).

“We are so proud of the ever-growing...

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[This story contains spoilers from the FX limited series Fleishman Is in Trouble.]

In FX’s limited series Fleishman Is in Trouble, author and showrunner Taffy Brodesser-Akner wants you to rethink whose side you’ve been on.

Described by Brodesser-Akner as an “absurd comedy” mixed with marriage drama and based on her debut novel of the same name, the series follows doctor Toby Fleishman (Jesse Eisenberg) after he and his wife Rachel (Claire Danes) get a divorce and assume shared custody of their children. A free man (in his middle age), Fleishman attempts to re-enter the dating scene through dating apps while juggling his work and now single parent-esque duties.

“It’s a modern story about the way marriage is now. It’s not about marriage for the long haul,” Brodesser-Akner explained at the show’s New York premiere earlier this month. “It’s about the way things are...

Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson, the writers behind such comedies as Not Another Teen Movie and Fox's Revenge Of The Nerds, have just sold their pitch for a feature film entitled Un-safe House to Lionsgate with Russell Hollander set to produce. The story of Un-safe House revolves around three childhood friends, who after renting a luxury beach house, receive an unexpected shock when a decorated... Read More...

Feature Ryan Lambie 9 Aug 2013 - 06:08

This week's crowdfunding selection includes an animated haunted house documentary, and a story about ads in the back of old comics...

The thing weirdest thing about crowdfunding websites is their ability to invent a demand for stuff you wouldn't necessarily think would have a market. Only this week, we've stumbled on a successful campaign for some sort of gigantic stone tortoise, some magic multimedia eggs from another dimension, and God only knows what this card game's all about.

While not all of these things are to our taste, we're happy that crowdfunding provides a platform to all kinds of eccentric ideas - and that's the loose theme for this week's selection of projects, which includes a macabre point-and-click adventure, a spooky animated short film, and an illustrated story about what happens when a kid decides to buy all the stuff from the back of an old comic.

What if your stuffed animals came to life to protect you from things that go bump in the night? Paramount is going there in Lions, Tigers and Bears. Based on the Image comic book, the story is about a young boy who realizes his cuddly friends actually keep him save from midnight monsters. The film will be a CGI-heavy live action film. Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson, who are working with Sam Raimi on two animated films The Transplants and The Familiars, will write. Uberproducer Lorenzo diBonaventura (Transformers movies) is producing.

Source: HeatVision...

Disney has hired David Digilio to start work on a sequel to Tron: Legacy, it's been revealed.

HeatVision says the first film's scribes Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis weren't able to be involved this time because they are tied up with ABC's upcoming fairy tale series Once Upon A Time.

Tron: Legacy made $400million worldwide on a budget reported as $170million but rumoured to be far higher, even as much as $300million.

No doubt Disney waited for DVD and Blu-ray earnings before deciding to give the nod to another chapter. Director Joseph Kosinski had talked about sequel ideas earlier this year.

Digilio is creator of the crime conspiracy series Traveler and writer of Antarctic survival film Eight Below. He has just sold a pitch to Showtime for a post-apocalyptic sci-fi series called Last H.O.P.E.

The reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is moving forward, with screenwriters...

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Scribes Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec ("Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol") have been brought on to pen the script for a reboot of the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" franchise at Paramount Pictures and Platinum Dunes. [Source: Deadline]

The Duelist

Gold Circle Films has picked up Shawn Linden's Neo-Western action-thriller spec "The Duelist" which Lane Shadgett will perform rewrites on.

The story set in an underground world of quick-draw gunfights with classic themes of honor, blood, betrayal and redemption. [Source: Variety]

Lions, Tigers, and Bears

Paramount has hired Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson to pen an adaptation of Mike Bullock's comic "Lions, Tigers, and Bears".

The story focuses on an 8-year-old boy, Joey Price, who finds out that his stuffed animals are responsible for protecting him from the monsters that reside in his closet. [Source: Heat Vision]

Home Movies

Filmmaker Tom McCarthy ("The Station Agent," "The Visitor") has been hired to write the...

[1] Way back in 2009, we reported on a couple of comic book adaptations in development: Lions, Tigers and Bears [2], about a boy whose stuffed animals come to life; and The Nye Incidents [3], based on a Devil's Due comic about an alien abductee serial killer. Neither project got much farther than the early stages, however, and we eventually forgot about them altogether. (Or at least I did. Maybe you didn't. I don't know your life.) Now, news comes that both projects are back on track again. Get updates on both, plus info on a potential Penny Arcade-inspired film, after the jump. When we first reported on Lions, Tigers and Bears, relative newcomer Joey Aucoin was set to write the script based on his pitch. A more recent report, however, announces Not Another Teen Movie scribes Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson as the screenwriters. As before, Paramount's Lorenzo di Bonaventura is producing.

There's no lack of childhood memories or fears that can be mined by a nostalgia-prone Hollywood-- a whole raft of them show up in this weekend's Super 8 alone. Now one of the most elemental-- the monsters in the closet-- are being trotted back out for the screen. Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson, a writing duo with a handful of other large projects in the works at various studios, have been hired by Paramount to adapt Lions, Tigers and Bears, a comic book by Mike Bullock. According to THR it's coming from mega-producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, which means you can probably predict some of these other descriptions: "an effects-heavy live action tentpole and possible franchise." Di Bonaventura is about to have yet another huge summer with Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and recently made plans for a sequel to Salt, his action hit from last summer. Lions, Tigers And...

Paramount has hired the writing duo of Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson to pen an adaptation of the Image Comics title Lions, Tigers, and Bears. Created by Mike Bullock, Lions, Tigers, and Bears focuses on an 8-year-old boy, Joey Price, who finds out that his stuffed animals are responsible for protecting him from the monsters that reside in his closet. The studio originally acquired rights to the title a few years ago and Heat Vision reports that it would like to franchise the property as an "effects-heavy live action tentpole." In addition to this gig, Epstein and Jacobson are also penning the script to an adaptation of their children's book The Familiars. Sam Raimi will produce that pic with Doug Sweetland set to direct. For more on Lions, Tigers, and Bears, hit the jump to check out a brief synopsis of the comic. Here's a brief synopsis for Mike Bullock's Lions,...

Doug Sweetland, the man behind Oscar-nominated Pixar short "Presto" and an animator at said studio for sixteen years, is set to make his feature directing debut on "The Familiars" at Sony Pictures Animation reports Heat Vision.

Based on the children's book by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson, the story follow three young wizard apprentices who are whisked away by an evil queen. In order to escape they must rely on their animal companions - an alley cat, a blue jay and a tree frog.

Epstein and Jacobson are writing the screenplay while Sam Raimi and Josh Donen are onboard as executive producers.

Doug Sweetland, director the Pixar short Presto, has signed on to direct The Familiars for Sony Animation Studios, ThePlaylist are reporting.

The Familiars is loosely based on the book of the same name by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson and centers on three young wizard apprentices who, after being whisked away by an evil queen, must rely on their animal companions, or familiars – an alley cat, a blue jay and a tree frog – to escape.

Epstein and Jacobson will adapt the book for screen themselves, with Sam Raimi and Josh Donen on board as executive producers.

No release date has been announced yet, but expect more details to be confirmed once a screenplay has been handed into the studio.

In case you haven’t already seen it, you can find Presto on all Wall-e DVDs and Blu-rays.

Sony Pictures Animation has something of a history with A) picking up former Pixar bods (Surf’s Up's Ash Brannon) and finding success with CG movies based on children’s stories (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs). And its latest acquisition ticks both boxes, as Doug Sweetland has signed on to make his first full-length film with Familiars.The book, written by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson, finds three young magical apprentices who are spirited away by an evil queen. Their only hope for rescue lies with their companion animal familiars – a cat, a blue jay and a tree frog. While we’re still puzzling over the tree frog as a familiar (we’re guessing a toad was too gross or cliché for today’s whippersnappers), the story sounds like a blend of Harry Potter and The Incredible Journey, which Epstein and Jacobson are now turning into a script.

Pixar Director Doug Sweetland has landed his first full-length feature film directing gig! Sweetland is best known for directing the Pixar short film Presto, which was nominated for an Academy Award back in 2009.

The film he is going to develop is an adaptation of the children's book, The Familiars written by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson, who will also write the screenplay.. the story follows three young wizard apprentices who must rely on their animal companions, or familiars, such as an alley cat, a blue jay and a tree frog, to escape an evil queen.

The most interesting part about this is the fact that this is not a Pixar film. Sweetland went straight from CalArts to being an animator for Pixar and worked on films such as A Bug’s Life and Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc, The Incredibles, Cars and Finding Nemo. It seemed like Pixar was preparing him for something bigger.

As though it weren't enough that Pixar's feature films are absolutely incredible, the company regularly puts out shorts that are just as good. Be it Burn-e, Partly Cloudy, Day & Night or One Man Band, it's rare that the company ever misses. One of my favorite shorts from over the years, however, has been Doug Sweetland's Presto. Featuring a hungry bunny and Looney Tunes-inspired hilarity, I can watch it repeatedly and never grow tired of it (consequently, I was also up-in-arms when it lost during the Oscars in 2009). Now, Sweetland is heading up to the big leagues. THR reports that Sweetland will direct an adaptation of Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson's children's book The Familiars for Sony Pictures Animation. Sweetland worked at Pixar for sixteen years and worked on every feature film from Toy Story in 1995 to Cars in 2006. The book is about three young wizards who are...

Doug Sweetland directing The FamiliarsDoug Sweetland, the Academy Award-nominated director of the 2008 Pixar short Presto, is set to direct The Familiars for Sony Pictures Animation. Sam Raimi & Joshua Donen are executive producing. Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson are writing the screenplay for The Familiars, based on their just-published novel.

Sweetland joins Sony Pictures Animation after sixteen years at Pixar Animation, a run that began right out of California Institute of the Arts as an animator on Toy Story (1995) and continued with A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo. Sweetland's trajectory at Pixar elevated him to animator and storyboard artist on the Academy Award-winning The Incredibles and supervising animator on John Lasseter's Cars. He is the winner of two Annie Awards for Individual Achievement in Character Animation for his work on Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo. He was also nominated for an Annie Award for...

Doug Sweetland, who directed the wonderful Looney Tunes-style Pixar short Presto, has been tapped to helm Sony Pictures Animation’s The Familiars. Per Heat Vision, “The story centers on three young wizard apprentices who, after being whisked away by an evil queen, must rely on their animal companions, or familiars — an alley cat, a blue jay and a tree frog — to escape.” Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson will write the screenplay based on their recently-released children’s book. Sam Raimi and Josh Donen are executive producing.

Sweetland worked at Pixar for 16 years and earned Annie awards for his work on Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, and Toy Story 2. He earned an Annie nomination and an Oscar nomination for Presto.

After having the honor of directing one of Pixar's infamous shorts in the form of the Presto, director Doug Sweetland is moving into feature length films. Heat Vision reports the animator is set to direct The Familiars for Sony Pictures Animation. The story, based on Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson's recently published children's book of the same name, follows three young wizard apprentices who, after being whisked away by an evil queen, must rely on their animal companions (or familiars), an alley cat, a blue jay and a tree frog, to escape. The authors are also writing the screenplay for the feature film adaptation. Sweetland is making the move over to Sony after working at Pixar for the past 16 years. He's worked as an animator on nearly all of their projects including the first two Toy Story films, A Bug's Life, Monsters, Inc., and Finding ...

Since A Bug’s Life, there has been a short attached with each new Pixar film. This year we got the excellent Day & Night with Toy Story 3. Last year’s Up had the equally great Partly Cloudly. In 2008, Doug Sweetland directed the story of a magician and his rabbit, Presto, which premiered before Wall-e. Working at Pixar for last 16 years, he has now been attached to his first feature debut. [Heat Vision]

It won’t be for Pixar though, but rather Sony Pictures Animation. Titled The Familiars, the “story centers on three young wizard apprentices who, after being whisked away by an evil queen, must rely on their animal companions, or familiars — an alley cat, a blue jay and a tree frog — to escape.”

Sam Raimi will produce with Josh Donen and writers of the original children’s book it is based on, Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson, will scribe. The...

Doug Sweetland will take the helm of Sony's "The Familiars," an animated pic based on the Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson series, reports Coming Soon. Sweetland is an animation director who is known for the animated 2008 Pixar short, "Presto." The story tells of three young wizard apprentices who are whisked away to an evil kingdom by a wicked queen and must rely on their animal companions - a blue jay, a tree frog as well as an alley cat, in order to escape. Sam Raimi and Josh Donen are producing...

Doug Sweetland, the animation director best known for Pixar's 2008 animated short, "Presto," has signed on to direct The Familiars for Sony, says Heat Vision . The animated film, to be based on the children's fantasy book series written by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson, follows three young wizard apprentices who, after being whisked away to an evil kingdom by a nefarious queen, must rely on their animal companions -- an alley cat, a blue jay and a tree frog -- to escape. Josh Donen and Sam Raimi are attached as producers on the project. The book, which saw release last month, is planned as a franchise, a teaser for which is viewable below:...

Established 1974! Our news column has been around the block.

Outbound from the science fiction universe, Katee Sackhoff will now fight evil as part of the 24 ensemble.

Character Castings

There Is life after Battlestar Galactica for Katee Sackhoff, though it didn’t look like it for a time. Sackhoff has now joined 24 for its next season. She’ll play a CTU analyst heroine who has a romantic history with fellow new cast member Freddie Prinze Jr. The series, which has relocated to shoot in NYC, returns early next year. And Sackhoff? This is a win for her. Previously, Sackhoff was up to replace Jorja Fox on CSI (the gig instead went to Mutant X’s Lauren Lee Smith). After that, she filmed Lost & Found, a law enforcement pilot for veteran Law And Order producer Dick Wolf, but last month it didn’t sell as a series. Fortunately, 24 executive producer Howard Gordon...

Sony Pictures Animation has picked up the rights to "The Familiars," an upcoming children's fantasy book series written by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson, says The Hollywood Reporter . Sam Raimi and Josh Donen are in negotiations to produce via their Stars Road Entertainment. Epstein and Jacobson also will write the script. The series is said to offer a franchise set in a compelling world rich in detail. The first book follows three young wizard apprentices who, after being whisked away to an evil kingdom by a nefarious queen, must rely on their animal companions -- an alley cat, a blue jay and a tree frog -- to escape.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures Animation picked up the rights to The Familiars in a low- to mid-seven-figure deal.

The property is a children's fantasy book series that was written by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson.

This new series follows three young wizard apprentices who, after being taken to an evil kingdom by a mean queen, turn to their animal companions -- an alley cat, a blue jay and a tree frog -- for help.

Sam Raimi and Josh Donen are planning to produce this project through their Stars Road Entertainment banner. Epstein and Jacobson will also be writing the script.

The writers' literary agent, Markus Hoffmann of Regal Literary, initially submitted a partial manuscript and a detailed chapter outline for the first book as well as short synopses for the second and third volumes at the Book Expo America convention. Shortly after that HarperCollins Children's jumped...

In a low- to mid-seven-figure deal, Sony Pictures Animation has picked up the rights to "The Familiars," an upcoming children's fantasy book series written by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson.

Sam Raimi and Josh Donen are in negotiations to produce via their Stars Road Entertainment banner. Epstein and Jacobson also will write the script.

The writers pitched the idea to their reps at UTA and H2F Entertainment, who believed -- given the current marketplace that favors having an IP like a comic book or book behind a project -- that going the book route would be better than simply going out with a pitch. The approach also would give the duo an opportunity to make tracks as novelists.

The writers' literary agent, Markus Hoffmann of Regal Literary, submitted a partial manuscript plus a detailed chapter outline for the first book as well as short synopses for the second...

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney has picked up “The Transplants,” an action-adventure pitch from scribes Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson for Sam Raimi to produce via the Stars Road Entertainment banner he runs with partner Josh Donen. The parties are keeping a tight lid on the high-concept project, though it is described as a four-quadrant ensemble superhero story with a comedic bent. Epstein and Jacobson, best known for “Not Another Teen Movie,” were planning to execute their idea via a comic book, but Disney exec Kristin Burr was so keen on it that the company pre-emptively picked up “Transplants.” The deal is in the mid- to high-six figures. Stars Road executive Russell Hollander brought the project to the studio. The Disney-Raimi pairing is eyebrow-raising: “Transplants” marks the first Disney project for the filmmaker, who is known more for his horror fare and ”Spider-Man” movies, not to mention his...

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney has picked up “The Transplants,” an action-adventure pitch from scribes Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson for Sam Raimi to produce via the Stars Road Entertainment banner he runs with partner Josh Donen. The parties are keeping a tight lid on the high-concept project, though it is described as a four-quadrant ensemble superhero story with a comedic bent. Epstein and Jacobson, best known for “Not Another Teen Movie,” were planning to execute their idea via a comic book, but Disney exec Kristin Burr was so keen on it that the company pre-emptively picked up “Transplants.” The deal is in the mid- to high-six figures. Stars Road executive Russell Hollander brought the project to the studio. The Disney-Raimi pairing is eyebrow-raising: “Transplants” marks the first Disney project for the filmmaker, who is known more for his horror fare and ”Spider-Man” movies, not to mention his...

Another week another Weekend Movie News Wrap Up. Hard to believe that we are into the month of August already! Crazy.

This week: Robert DeNiro visits the Edge of Darkness with Mel Gibson, we see more of The Terminator, Wes Craven’s old movies get remade..again, Thomas Jane lands a big role and Sam Raimi does comedy in The Transplants.

1. Mel Gibson’s comeback movie has apparently just nabbed Robert DeNiro as a co-star. The Martin Campbell directed The Edge of Darkness. This one appears to be shaping up nicely. Gibson plays a retired police detective investigating the death of his daughter.

Don’t these criminals ever learn? Never mess with Mad Mel’s family!

The film starts shooting in the next couple of weeks in Boston. DeNiro’s part is unknown.

Source: Boston Herald

2. A new Terminator: Salvation image has been released. It shows Christian Bale’s John...

This is some of the weirdest news I have heard in awhile. Sam Raimi the director behind the Evil Dead series, Darkman and the Spider-Man films is going to team up with Disney for The Transplants. Yea I know you're thinking, "This isn't that weird.. Its a medical thriller about transplanting organs in some twisted manor right?" No... this is a "four-quadrant ensemble superhero story with a comedic bent" according to THR. Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson wrote the story and wanted to turn the project into a comic book. But Disney was so keen on the story that they pre-emptively picked it up...

• Sam Raimi teams up with Walt Disney to produce “The Transplants,” a family action adventure developed by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson (“Not Another Teen Movie”). Nothing is known about the film’s plot except that it involves superheroes. (The Hollywood Reporter)

• Howard Stern is set to produce a remake of Allan Arkush’s 1979 musical comedy “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School,” according to Variety. The original followed a group of student who used the help of the Ramones to take down their ruthless principal.

• According to MTV News, director Pete Docter and Pixar may be eyeing a sequel to “Monsters, Inc.” This is all just a big rumor at this stage, but Docter told MTV he was already looking at some ideas.

• Fergie has signed on to play a prostitute in Rob Marshall’s upcoming musical “Nine,” according to The Associated Press. She joins Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz,...

Sam Raimi is going Disney. The studio has picked up "The Transplants," an action-adventure pitch from scribes Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson for the filmmaker to produce via the Stars Road Entertainment banner he runs with partner Josh Donen.

The parties are keeping a tight lid on the high-concept project, though it is described as a four-quadrant ensemble superhero story with a comedic bent.

Epstein and Jacobson, best known for "Not Another Teen Movie," were planning to execute their idea via a comic book, but Disney exec Kristin Burr was so keen on it that the company pre-emptively picked up "Transplants." The deal is in the mid- to high-six figures.

Stars Road executive Russell Hollander brought the project to the studio.

Last weekend, Raimi was at Comic-Con in San Diego, where he showed off well-received clips from his return-to-horrror film "Drag Me to Hell." Stars Road is one of the entities behind Screen Gems' dramatic thriller "Armored."

Epstein and Jacobson, repped by UTA and H2F Entertainment, most recently wrote the action comedy "Crash Test Dummies" for Barry Josephson at Fox. They also directed and co-wrote the upcoming Dimension release "Extreme Movie," which stars Michael Cera.

The Disney-Raimi pairing is eyebrow-raising: "Transplants" marks the first Disney project for the filmmaker, who is known more for his horror fare and "Spider-Man" movies, not to mention his comedic sensibilities that attract the geek audience. Disney, on the other hand, isn't exactly known for its edge, with fare that plays fairly broad.

Still, a few projects and names pop from the Disney slate, such as the Bruce Willis sci-fi actioner "Surrogates" and the Tim Burton-directed "Alice in Wonderland," which is sure to attract literary hipsters as much as families.

Like too many of its predecessors in the parody-film genre, including the recent Date Movie and Epic Movie, this would-be satire directed by Tom Brady features a procession of familiar and not-so-familiar scenes from its inspirations modified with the lamest of gags. In this case, the PG-13 rating even dampens down the normally enjoyable raunch factor to a depressingly low level.

Veteran supporting player David Koechner gets his Will Ferrell-style moment in the spotlight with his starring turn as Coach Lambeau Fields -- if the joke has to be explained, this might not be the film for you -- who is assigned the task of whipping a small town Texas college football team into shape in time for the big game.

This provides the framework for a barrage of bits lampooning seemingly dozens of sports movies from recent years, including Miracle, Rudy, Friday Night Lights, Invincible, Remember the Titans, Rocky and even such relatively little seen titles as Stick It. At one point, a musical number featuring a Journey song also is thrown in for no particularly good reason.

Most of the gags fail miserably, achieving little more than to provide momentary reminders of their inspirations. And the tangential jokes like the coach's sexually frustrated wife (Melora Hardin) passing off her young lover as an exchange student from the country of "Makingsweetlovetoyourwifeistan", are similarly lame.

While many of the film's targets like Cuba Gooding Jr.'s annoying turn as the mentally challenged Radio (here dubbed "iPod": these are the jokes, folks) are well-deserving of ridicule, the ineffective spoofing on display actually makes them seem better in retrospect.

Koechner tries hard, but ultimately scores few laughs except for when, like Ferrell, he bares his comically less than toned, fleshy body. Some of the supporting players manage to provide fun moments, such as Matthew Lawrence as a teen quarterback with sexuality issues and Carl Weathers as a rival coach.

THE COMEBACKS

Fox Atomic

Tapestry Films

Credits:

Director: Tom Brady

Screenwriters: Ed Yeager, Joey Gutierrez

Based on a story by: John Aboud, Michael Colton, Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson

Producers: Peter Abrams, Andrew Panay, Robert L. Levy

Executive producer: Adam F. Goldberg

Director of photography: Anthony B. Richmond

Production designer: Marc Fisichella

Music: Christopher Lennertz

Co-producers: Laura Greenlee, Kevin Sabbe, Michael Schreiber

Costume designer: Salvador Perez

Editor: Alan Edward Bell

Cast:

Coach Lambeau Fields: David Koechner

Freddie Wiseman: Carl Weathers

Barb Fields: Melora Hardin

Lance Truman: Matthew Lawrence

Michelle Fields: Brooke Nevin

Mr. Truman: Nick Searcy

Buddy Boy: George Back

Jizminder: Noureen DeWulf

Jorge: Jesse Garcia

Trotter: Jackie Long

Running time -- 88 minutes

MPAA rating: PG-13...

Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson, who wrote and directed Dimension's upcoming Parental Guidance Suggested, have set up their second directing vehicle with Bill Todman's Level 1 Entertainment.

Titled Trucker Academy, the comedy revolves around two white-collar professionals who lose their jobs and decide to become long-haul truckers.

Epstein and Jacobson will pen the high-concept screenplay, which is described as in the vein of Stripes and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, from their original idea.

Level 1 recently produced the comedy Strange Wilderness, which will be distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Epstein and Jacobson, whose credits include Sony's Not Another Teen Comedy and Fox Atomic's upcoming sports-themed comedy The Comebacks, also are writing 20th Century Fox's Crash Test Dummies for producer Barry Josephson. The duo also are developing a comedy project at the Walt Disney Co.

The pair are repped by UTA and attorney Ken Richman.

NEW YORK -- Dimension Films nabbed rights to first-time feature directors Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson's multisketch sex comedy Parental Guidance Suggested. The ensemble cast includes Jamie Kennedy, Matthew Lillard, Frankie Muniz, Ryan Pinkston, Michael Cera and Andy Milonakis playing teens who get into a series of sexual misadventures. Various sketches in the screenplay were written during the past few years by Epstein, Jacobson, John Solomon and Saturday Night Live writers Andy Samberg, Will Forte, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone.

NEW YORK -- Frankie Muniz, Ryan Pinkston, Jamie Kennedy, Andy Milonakis and Matthew Lillard will lead an ensemble cast in writers-directors Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson's teen sketch sex comedy Parental Guidance Suggested for indie producers Richard Suckle, Warren Zide and Laura Lichstein. Saturday Night Live stars Andy Samberg and Will Forte wrote segments of the screenplay with Epstein, Jacobson, John Solomon and fellow SNL writers Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone. Michael Cera, Kevin Hart, Joanna Garcia and Ashley Schneider also are featured performers in the film, which has more than 70 speaking roles in various segments. The film marks the directorial debut of Epstein and Jacobson, co-writers of Not Another Teen Movie. Muniz stars as a teen who loses his virginity with his girlfriend (Schneider), only to find she wants to take things much further, including farm animals and midgets.

NEW YORK -- Frankie Muniz, Ryan Pinkston, Jamie Kennedy, Andy Milonakis and Matthew Lillard will lead an ensemble cast in writers-directors Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson's teen sketch sex comedy Parental Guidance Suggested for indie producers Richard Suckle, Warren Zide and Laura Lichstein. Saturday Night Live stars Andy Samberg and Will Forte wrote segments of the screenplay with Epstein, Jacobson, John Solomon and fellow SNL writers Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone. Michael Cera, Kevin Hart, Joanna Garcia and Ashley Schneider also are featured performers in the film, which has more than 70 speaking roles in various segments. The film marks the directorial debut of Epstein and Jacobson, co-writers of Not Another Teen Movie. Muniz stars as a teen who loses his virginity with his girlfriend (Schneider), only to find she wants to take things much further, including farm animals and midgets.

The writing team of Andrew Jacobson and Adam Epstein have sold their action-comedy spec Newlywed Feds to Lions Gate in a low-six figure deal. The script follows two FBI agents who, despite hating each other, are forced to pose as newlyweds in order to bring down a crime ring. Through the course of their ruse, the agents fall in love. Feds is being produced by Benderspink and overseen for the studio by Marc Butan. Epstein and Jacobson, who are writing the untitled Frankie Muniz project for MGM, also penned the comedy Not Another Teen Movie and have written for the MTV Movie Awards. They are repped by UTA, Benderspink and attorney Rick Genow of Stone, Meyer, Genow.