Run Fatboy Run News

Michael Ian Black, the comedian that was made famous by MTV's The State, wrote the initial script for Run Fat Boy Run.  Initially, Black planned on directing the movie himself.

However, Black sold the the script and it found its way to Simon Pegg, who rewrote the script, and director David Schwimmer.

With Run Fat Boy Run coming out this week, Movieweb had the chance to sit down with the original script writer in an interview.  Here's a small excerpt:

Did you willingly give this script up to Schwimmer and Pegg? I know Pegg came in and did some rewrites.

Michael Ian Black: My intent was to either direct it or to sell it for a lot of money. And I did neither. It was not an easy thing to give up. There were many times along the way were I regretted giving it up. I was very nervous about reading Simon's rewrite when he did rewrite it. Because it was set in London, and I didn't know what he would keep and what he would get rid of. But then I was delighted when I read it. I thought he did a really great job. Story wise it is identical. He changed one character from Italian to Indian. And the relationship was different. In the original, the Italian guy had a much younger wife. Now, in this one, it is his daughter. He changed the ending a tiny bit, which I thought was for the better. He Anglo-sized it. For the most part, I thought he made it better.

So you never had any problems with him coming in and changing it up a bit?

Michael Ian Black: No. I think he is a great writer. I had no issues with him or his rewrite. I was happy that he got cast, and I was happy that he reworked it.

Did you have anything at all to do with it once it went into his hands?

Michael Ian Black: Not really. They invited me out to the set for a week. And I hung out. I saw some dingy parts of London. And I hung out with David Schwimmer a little bit. They treated me like a distant uncle that had come from across the pond to visit. And that is essentially what I was.

You can read the rest of the interview at Movieweb.

On Monday, we ran part one of a Q&A with Run Fat Boy Run's director, David Schwimmer. Today we bring you a few more questions from part two of MTV Movies Blog's Q&A:

IA Asks:
What are the differences between directing a feature film like "Run, Fat Boy, Run" compared to directing an episode of "Friends"?

DAVID Says:
There are so, so many differences, but the main thing is that on a film like "Fat Boy" we were outside on location (over 50 locations in about 35 days), so that brings a whole set of unpredictable problems that don't occur on a soundstage. Like noise from traffic or airplanes; the weather suddenly changing and you find yourself in a downpour; losing available daylight; losing a location that you've only budgeted one day for, so you have to complete the scene no matter what; police, traffic, crowd control, paparazzi getting in the way, etc. The list is very long!

ANNA K Asks:
If you could choose anyone to direct (living or dead), who would you pick and why?

DAVID Says:
Wow. That's a hell of a question…I think living, I'd love to work with Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman. As for those who've passed, the first guys I think of are Jack Lemmon, Peter Sellers, Gregory Peck and Cary Grant. I think the why is obvious, no?

Read of the rest of part two of the Q&A MTV Movies Blog.

Run, Fat Boy, Run, the next vehicle starring writer / actor Simon Pegg is about to hit theaters tomorrow.

Comingsoon.net was lucky enough to interview Pegg about his upcoming movie. Here's a small excerpt with the star of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.

ComingSoon.net: How did David convince you to come onto this project both as a writer and as the star? Did he just send you the script and ask?

Simon Pegg: Well I got the call and I read it again and I thought, "How is this going to work as a British set film?" because it very much had the spirit of New York in it. It had the New York Marathon, it was intrinsically New York, and at first I kind of resisted it. I was like, "Well, can't we just come shoot it here and I can play an American?" The (production) company Material are all about shooting in London, and obviously we want to keep our film industry going and make sure our crews work because they're brilliant and so I thought, "Well okay, this is a challenge then. This is going to be some hard work." It actually was easier than I thought it was, because I think London and New York have a similar sensibility. I think they have more in common with each other than say New York and L.A. in terms of the metropolitan feel of the place, so it was just the case of taking it on as a challenge, and I always like a challenge.

CS: Did anyone have worries about David being American trying to direct a British comedy?

Pegg: No, not at all. What he was doing was directing a comedy in Britain. He wasn't directing a Bollywood film, you know? The cultural difference wasn't that great, and he's a very adept comic and director.

CS: Did you actually have to create a marathon for this thing?

Pegg: Yeah, we were tied up in all sorts of nonsense. The London Marathon is sponsored by a margarine company and that entity is tied up with another film, so the rights to that event we couldn't get, so we had to invent an event which we did with the kind help of a major sports clothing company. It became this River Run, which doesn't really exist, so we shot it basically with about two hundred fifty people and then the magic of crowd replication, which you could do digitally, made it look like a real marathon.

You can read the rest of the interview at Comingsoon.net.

David Schwimmer recently took a one and a half year break from acting to get in the director's chair for Run Fatboy Run.

Run Fatboy Run stars Simon Pegg of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz fame. Run Fatboy Run is the story of a somewhat overweight man trying to win back his ex-wife he dumped when she was pregnant.

MTV recently had David Schwimmer answer a bunch of fan questions in a two part series. Here's some of the questions and answers from part one.

SARA Asks:
I love Simon Pegg so I'm excited to see him in the lead for this. How did you think of him? Did you ever consider acting in it yourself?

DAVID Says:
I love Simon, too. He's brilliant. We worked together in a few things and have been friends for a while, so he was my first choice. And no, I really didn't think about acting in it â€" I just wanted to focus all my energy on one thing: directing.

ANNA Asks:
What's more challenging: directing or acting? And what's more rewarding of the two?

DAVID Says:
Actually, I have to say I love both equally, and find both of them rewarding. I just finished a movie called "Nothing But the Truth" playing Kate Beckinsale's husband, and had a great time. I kind of needed to get back to acting, after spending a year and a half directing the movie.Continue Reading...

Run Fatboy Run!

It's more than just a command to your local, overweight bartender. It's the name of David Schwimmer's latest directorial effort. How do critics feel about the comedy? Let's take a look...

- Run, Fatboy, Run is the type of romantic comedy apt to be described as "nice" or "sweet," both of which are codewords for "unexceptional" and "useless." -- Slant Magazine

- An unapologetic throwback to the days when comedies didn't have to be all that original -- just as long as they were funny. -- Cinematical

- Schwimmer just doesn't have the directorial wit to elevate the intermittently amusing script, and none of the cast seems dedicated enough to raise the bar either. -- Film Journal International

- There are no surprises here -- just broad, frequently slapstick gags that don't avoid but do tamp down a bit on the bodily-function school of yokkery. -- Variety

Directed by David Schwimmer, Run Fatboy Run is receiving a ton of critical praise. It should be a sleeper comedy hit, one that comes out on March 26.

You can read why right now by checking out a few Run Fatboy Run quotes. Also, click on any of the following thumbnails for larger versions of photos from the film...