Will Ferrell GETTY H 2016
Getty ImagesWill Ferrell is set to star as a competitive gamer in a comedy for Legendary.
The untitled feature will be set in the world of eSports, where players as young as 15 can earn millions through sponsorship and gameplay in sold-out arenas. As a middle-aged gamer with exceptional hand-eye coordination, Ferrell will be playing an anomaly among his younger teammates.
Michael Kvamme and Jordan Dunn will pen the script for the comedy, which is also being produced by Mosaic and Ferrell’s Gary Sanchez production shingle. Patrick Connelly and John Beach of Gravity Squared are co-producing.
Universal will handle all distribution outside of China.
eSports, which are still primarily viewed on YouTube and Twitch, are starting to receive coverage by major networks like ESPN and Fox Sports. The 2015 League of Legends finals had more viewers than the World Series or NBA Finals.
Two premiere eSports teams, Evil Geniuses and Fnatic, are in talks to appear in the film.
Ferrell is currently in production on Holmes & Watson, a Sherlock Holmes send-up where he will star opposite John C. Reilly. He is repped by UTA, Mosaic and Jackoway Tyerman.
Kvamme and Dunn, who penned the script for Spongebob Squarepants 3, are repped by Mosaic and Verve.
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