Andy Kaufman, the Saturday Night Live and Taxi star who was portrayed by Jim Carrey in Milos Forman’s 1999 film Man on the Moon, is getting the documentary treatment.
The Emmy-nominated Alex Braverman will direct the feature doc about the late American entertainer, which has just started production. Morgan Neville, who directed Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, will produce through his Tremolo Productions banner.
Kaufman, who died in 1984 after a battle with cancer, secured legendary comedy status as a sensational comedian and performance artist best known for playing Latka Gravas, an immigrant auto mechanic on the sitcom Taxi.
“No matter how many times I watch Andy Kaufman’s work, I feel like I’m seeing a magic trick for the very first time. I’m excited for our project to honor that. This is the film I’ve wanted to make my entire life,” director Braverman said in a statement. The film’s producers have secured exclusive rights to key films and much of Kaufman’s early work, alongside never-before-seen footage and audio recordings.
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There’s also an exclusive deal with Kaufman’s key creative partners, Lynn Margulies Osgood and writing partner Bob Zmuda, who will appear in the film. Elara Pictures, the production company led by Josh and Benny Safdie, will executive produce alongside Rick Rubin and Chuck Braverman, who produced Kaufman’s 1980 special Andy Kaufman Plays Carnegie Hall, and Wavelength founder and CEO Jenifer Westphal.
Neville, whose earlier work includes the Oscar-winning 20 Feet From Stardom, cited the creative team supporting the Kaufman doc. “Alex is an exciting director who has a vital take on the story, the Safdie Brothers are true originals just like Kaufman himself, and Chuck Braverman and Wavelength are incredible collaborators and champions for this film’s unique vision,” he said in his own statement.
The doc marks Tremolo and Wavelength’s second partnership after working together on Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, which Neville directed. It also marks Neville and Rubin’s second project together after the Showtime documentary series Shangri-La.
ICM Partners and WME Independent are representing the project.
