Andy did you hear about this one?
Ross Dinerstein’s Campfire Studios has teamed with Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions, David Letterman’s Worldwide Pants Incorporated and Fifth Season for the first authorized feature documentary on comedy pioneer Andy Kaufman.
The documentary will be fully financed by Fifth Season (“Being Mary Tyler Moore” with Mary Lisio, executive vice president of non-scripted and documentary, overseeing. The Kaufman film is being produced in partnership with The Andy Kaufman Estate and Clay Tweel (“Finder’s Keepers,” “Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults”) is directing.
The project marks the second feature doc on Kaufman in development. Morgan Neville and Josh and Benny Safdie set up a film to be directed by Alex Braverman in April 2022.
An official synopsis describes the latest documentary as featuring “unprecedented and exclusive access to Andy’s family, as well as personal and never-before-seen archives and private recordings – provided by the Kaufman Estate – and all Kaufman-related archival material from the estate of his longtime manager George Shapiro,” and promises that “the new film will track the creative process of a performance artist who operated at an undefinable frequency.” The documentary “will investigate the origins of Kaufman’s unparalleled creative choices and his personal definition of ‘funny,’ aiming to demystify the human being behind the act – featuring insight from his closest family, friends and collaborators.”
Kaufman, of course, was known for his singular comedic sensibilities, honed on Letterman’s late night talk show and during appearances on the smash hit sitcom “Taxi” and “Saturday Night Live.” His life story was previously immortalized in Milos Forman’s biographical film “Man on the Moon,” which had Jim Carrey standing in for the beloved comedian, who died tragically of lung cancer at the age of 34. The movie was named after a song recorded by R.E.M. inspired by the comedian’s life and work.
“My uncle Andy was a comic genius who continues to inspire artists around the world,” Tyler Kaufman said in an official statement. “There has never been anyone like him and there never will be. He delighted and provoked, and was just as comfortable creating anger and confusion as laughter. He made indelible impressions. His work is as vibrant today as ever, and we’re thrilled to join this filmmaking team in bringing viewers a very intimate and comprehensive look into his life and career.”
