R-rated teen comedy Blockers-helmer Kay Cannon has been tapped to direct 79ers for Lionsgate, according to Deadline.
Following a setup not dissimilar to The Goonies (or It, I guess), a group of lifelong friends attempt to uncover the mystery of a lost treasure as adults, having failed in their childhood attempt.
Nathan Kahane, President of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group had this to say:
“Kay is wonderful at capturing characters in situational conflict and is the perfect choice for this re-engineered coming of age comedy. I hope when we are finished with this film it feels like Goonies for adults. I have loved this script ever since I first read it. It has such great roles for a group of actors as our estranged friends have the wisdom and life experience of 30- year-olds but the baggage of their teen years that they have to overcome as they reunite for a legendary treasure hunt that has eluded them for decades.”
Dylan Meyer has been tapped to work on the screenplay while Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, partner James Weaver and their Point Grey Pictures (PGP) are attached to produce the flick. No word yet on production schedule or casting, so stay tuned for more!
I sort of hate that the premise of lifelong friends getting into new adventures is so endearing as to be cliche’d, but as a massive fan of Tag and The Hangover, I can’t imagine that the premise of 79ers can fail. The meta is particularly strong with this one though; most people who were young in the great year of 1979 (only a year after Slithis shattered the cinematic world) most likely found strong resonance with kid-themed adventures like The Goonies and are the marked and tagged audience for 79ers.
What do you guys think? Ready for a little more nostalgia-porn? Don’t even pretend you’re done, Wasteoids, with your vinyl records and He-Man figures and, and Michael Jackson diamond-gloves and…Stretch Armstrong Tiffany posters…
I don’t actually know who reads this. Tag is really great though.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!