Mike Judge, the voice behind the animated Beavis and Hank Hill, will write and direct "Extract," a Miramax comedy starring Jason Bateman. It will be the first feature from Ternion Prods., his newly created outfit with John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky.

Media Rights Capital is financing the film, TV and new-media company from the trio, who write and produce Fox's "King of the Hill." MRC also preemptively acquired the spec script "Brigadier Gerard" from Altschuler and Krinsky ("Blades of Glory"). Ternion is attaching a director to that project, a Napoleonic-era comedy based on a short story by Arthur Conan Doyle.

"Extract" follows a flower extract plant owner (Bateman) dealing with workplace issues and a stream of bad luck, including his wife's affair with a gigolo. Judge mined the workplace for comic material with his 1999 feature "Office Space."

Altschuler and Michael Rotenberg are producing with exec producers Tom Lassally and Krinsky.

Miramax's Michael Luisi and Peter McPartlin negotiated the "Extract" North American rights deal for the studio. Mike Salbo will oversee production of the film for Miramax under production president Keri Putnam.

Bateman is repped by UTA and 3 Arts and Judge by WMA and 3 Arts. Altschuler and Krinsky are repped by Endeavor and 3 Arts.

Mike Judge to write and direct 'Extract'

Jason Bateman will star in the comedy

By Gregg Goldstein and Borys Kit

April 27, 2008, 11:16 PM