Russ and Roger Go Beyond

John Carney’s Sing Street was a hit at Sundance, but when we spoke with the director he told us that it might be his last musical for a while. It looks like Carney may have found his first non-musical gig with Russ and Roger Go Beyond, the long-developing project that will explore the friendship between iconic film critic Roger Ebert and cult director Russ Meyer, who collaborated on Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.

Josh Gad has reportedly been in talks for months to play iconic film critic Roger Ebert in Russ and Roger Go Beyond, a new film that follows Ebert’s personal and professional relationship with filmmaker Russ Meyer. Will Ferrell has been locked in the role of Meyer for a while now, but the rumors of Gad’s involvement have now become more official as the actor has officially signed on for the project.

Russ and Roger Go Beyond has been in the works for some time now — the film, which covers the working relationship between esteemed film critic Roger Ebert and filmmaker Russ Meyer, has so far only cast Will Ferrell in the role of Meyer, while the role of Ebert remains vacant. But there’s some forward momentum on the project now, as The Trip director Michael Winterbottom has entered negotiations to direct the film.

One of the most interesting stories in the history of film criticism is that of Roger Ebert and exploitation film director Russ Meyer, who hired Ebert to pen the script for ‘Beyond the Valley of the Dolls’ after the famed critic gave one of Meyer’s films a positive review. That story is heading to the big screen with Will Ferrell in the role of Meyer, and Josh Gad may very well be joining him in the role of beloved critic Roger Ebert.