While Lawrence Sher is making his directorial debut with his new comedy Bastards, he actually has a long-time co-collaborator in star Ed Helms. After all, the two spent many years together working on Todd Phillips' Hangover trilogy, with Sher serving as cinematographer on all three films. Now that Sher has moved up to directing, the new comedy is obviously an opportunity for him to explore his own comedic sensibilities as a filmmaker -- but according to Helms, fans still should expect some of the Hangover DNA to be lingering in the movie. The actor recently told us,
I think Larry very much has his own comedic voice. Obviously we were all heavily influenced by Todd, because we all spent months in the trenches together, and Todd was calling the shots. And I think Todd has a really unique and singular voice. Larry, kind of, on his own, has his own thing going. That said, we're all kind of a reflection of Todd in some way.
I caught up with Ed Helms this week as he was walking the Warner Bros. press line at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, and had the chance to ask him about his work on Bastards and collaboration with Lawrence Sher. I specifically asked Helms about the influence that Todd Phillips had on the comedic stylings that we can expect in the upcoming film, and while it sounds like the director will use the platform to make a specific name for himself, there is also a reason why they worked well together in the past.
In Bastards, Ed Helms and Owen Wilson play a pair of fraternal twins who discover that their mother (Glenn Close) has been lying for decades about the identity of their father. This leads the brothers to set out on a road trip to try and find their dad, and awkwardly interview all of the men who formally slept with their mom. Going by the trailer, it doesn't look like it will go quite as dark as The Hangover trilogy, but give the footage below a look and tell us if it tickles your funny bone:
While talking with Ed Helms, I also asked him about his entrance to the project, if not just because the friendship between actors and cinematographers isn't one that you always hear about. Helms totally set me straight, however, revealing that "Larry" Sher has actually become one of his favorite people in the industry:
Larry is one of my best friends in the business. We made all three Hangovers together, we went to Thailand, we've been through all this insane shit together. So when it came time for him to direct, I was like, 'Hell yes! Sign me up' And obviously he has a beautiful eye, because the Hangover movies look beautiful, and he gets comedy! He knows how to shoot, and gets comedy.
You can watch the video below to hear all of Ed Helms' comments about working on Bastards, collaborating with Lawrence Sher, and the R-rating that the comedy is most definitely going for:
Bastards, which also stars J.K. Simmons, Terry Bradshaw, Katie Aselton, June Squibb and Ving Rhames, will be in theaters on December 22nd... and while that's a long wait, be sure to stay tuned for more updates about the movie here on CinemaBlend.
