Over the last few years, more and more A-list talents have moved over to Netflix for their latest creative endeavors, from Martin Scorsese turning to the studio to make his ambitious gangster epic The Irishman to Eddie Murphy's comedy comeback in Dolemite Is My Name. (Both movies have earned award season acclaim!) The next star down the line to collaborate with Netflix is Will Ferrell. The comedian is set to star in the wild, true story of a man’s desperation to find a buried loot of cocaine in the Caribbean.
Will Ferrell is teaming up with Netflix to remake the streaming service’s own The Legend of Cocaine Island, which debuted on the platform early this year. The documentary told the crazy story of a small-business owner and family man’s expedition to retrieve $2 million worth of cocaine in the Caribbean after coming across a legend leading him to it. He enlists a rag-tag group to get the job done, but since they have zero experience with drug-running, trouble follows.
This definitely sounds like the kind of project Will Ferrell would be attracted to! The comedian loves to take inspiration from off-color characters and this “southern fairytale” – as the original documentary calls it – scratches the itch. I’d imagine the comedian brings along some other hilarious people along with him for the Netflix project to portray the other characters in the story as well!
Peter Steinfeld, the writer of heist flick 21, as well as ensemble crime comedies Be Cool and Drowning Mona, is penning the remake. Per Deadline, Will Ferrell is producing the movie with producer of Hustlers and Booksmart, Jessica Elbaum, and Hacksaw Ridge’s David Permut. Ferrell recently cut professional ties with his longtime collaborator Adam McKay after 13 years of working together. The “breakup” ended on a positive note after the pair made Anchorman, Step Brothers and other projects together.
Along with The Legend of Cocaine Island, Will Ferrell also has another movie coming exclusively to Netflix in the near future, Eurovision. He and Rachel McAdams will star as Icelandic singers Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdottir, who are given a chance to be part of the world’s largest singing competition on behalf of their country. Eurovision also stars Dan Stevens, Pierce Brosnan and Demi Lovato, and will be directed by Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin.
Additionally, Will Ferrell also has a drama with Julia Louis-Dreyfus called Downhill coming on February 14, 2020. It’s about a family who escape near-death due to an avalanche during a ski vacation and the couple’s relationship is thrown into disarray.
Until then, one of Will Ferrell’s most popular movies, Elf, is certainly in its season right now – check out some behind-the-scenes facts about the holiday classic!
