Seth MacFarlane was already a big name prior to this year, making multiple hit television series that are all still on the air, but it wasn't until this summer that he became a major player in the film world. Making not only his directorial debut, but his live-action debut as well, the showrunner introduced the teddy bear comedy Ted to the world and it was a massive success. The film ended up making over $500 million at the box office on a $50 million budget, and suddenly MacFarlane found offers coming from everywhere. But now he's decided on what his next film will be.
THR reports that MacFarlane's next project will be A Million Ways to Die in the West, a comedy western. MacFarlane is working on the script with his Ted co-writers Alex Sulkin and Wellesley Wild and is described as being a "Blazing Saddles-style movie" that will put a comedic emphasis on "just how dangerous and painful life really was in the late 1800s." Sources say that McFarlane plans to star in the movie as well, which would make it his first live-action part (in addition to voicing the titular stuffed bear in his last feature, he also voiced the odd Johann Krauss in Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy II: The Golden Army). They will reportedly also be looking for an actress to play MacFarlane's romantic lead.
I must say that I am really excited to see what MacFarlane does in the film world. His work on television has demonstrated a quick attention span, and getting to work on films one at a time could allow him to really concentrate his energy and talent. What's more, the trade reports that he could have the film together for summer 2013, so he should be working on this before really digging into Ted 2, which should allow him to get distance from his first project and some perspective about how to approach the sequel. Where MacFarlane's movie career goes from here will be an interesting thing to watch.
