We're The Millers is one of those great sounding movies that has spent far, far too long in development hell. First developed back in 2002, the project had both Steve Buscemi and Will Arnett attached in the lead role at some point, but when it never ended up going anywhere they fell off. Back in May the project was given new life and now the film has lined up its new lead.
According to Pajiba, Arnett's Arrested Development co-star Jason Bateman has signed on to star in the stoner comedy, which is being backed by New Line. The project is being headed up by Rawson Thurber, who just yesterday landed a gig rewriting an adaptation of The Umbrella Academy for Universal. In the film Bateman will play a low-level middle-aged pot dealer who decides that it's time for retirement. Needing one last job to build his nest egg, he agrees to travel to Mexico and smuggle 1,400 pounds of marijuana across the border. In order to make the job work, he buys a large RV and hires people from around the neighborhood to pretend to be his family. The most recent version of the script was written by John Morris and Sean Anders, whose previous works include Hot Tub Time Machine, Mr. Popper's Penguins, and Sex Drive.
I've actually been following this project since it was first announced and I feel like my vision of the movie changes with each new actor. One has to imagine that the film would be much different with Buscemi or Arnett as the lead, but Bateman sounds like it could be a great choice. Pajiba describes the lead as having, "a dry sense of humor, and, in a very funny way, the character is mean," which would be a change of pace for the actor, but also welcomed. Bateman is having a pretty solid year thus far, with both Paul and Horrible Bosses playing to positive reviews and The Change Up due out next month. Let's see if he can keep it going.
