Tom Segura In Talks To Play Andy Kaufman’s Collaborator Bob Zmuda, Comedic Persona Tony Clifton In Indie ‘Dirty Rotten Bastard’

Matt Grobar
·3 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Comedian Tom Segura has identified the most promising vehicle yet to showcase his acting chops, as Deadline understands that he’s in talks for multiple roles in Dirty Rotten Bastard, a show biz-centric indie from Ed Helms & Mike Falbo’s Pacific Electric Picture Company.

Helmed by Ryan McNeely and Josh Martin, aka The Director Brothers, the film tells the insane true story of an aspiring filmmaker who is kidnapped by deranged lounge singer Tony Clifton. Initially drawn to document Clifton’s world, he is thrust into a chaotic journey of sex, celebrity, and comedy, blurring the lines between observer and participant, and testing his sanity.

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Segura will play legendary avant-garde comedian Andy Kaufman’s larger-than-life comedic persona Clifton, as well as the performer’s friend and longtime collaborator Bob Zmuda.

Zmuda was known to switch off with Kaufman in portraying Clifton, a foul-mouthed lounge singer out of Las Vegas, famous for his abrasive personality and erratic behavior. Kaufman liked to inhabit him both onstage and off, sometimes appearing in character during interviews and public appearances. The mystique surrounding the character was amplified by the fact that over the course of Kaufman’s life, many believed Clifton to be a real person separate from the comedian.

An executive producer on Miloš Forman’s 1999 feature Man on the Moon, which brought Jim Carrey a Golden Globe for his turn as Kaufman, Zmuda also worked alongside Kaufman in orchestrating a legendary 1979 performance at Carnegie Hall and antics in the wrestling ring alongside the likes of Jerry “The King” Lawler. Additionally, he penned the biography Andy Kaufman Revealed!, published in 1999.

Script for Dirty Rotten Bastard was written by Brent Dillon (Night Teeth). Helms and Falbo will produce, with Brett Harris, Ryan Chavez and Trip Bennewitz serving as executive producers. UTA Independent Film Group and Verve are co-repping worldwide sales.

One of the biggest names in comedy, who is currently on his “Come Together” world tour, Segura is best known for releasing five chart-topping specials for Netflix, including Sledgehammer, which debuted at #1 on the streamer last July. Previously, he’s also been seen in films like STX’s horror thriller Countdown, Instant Family opposite Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne, indie comedy The Opening Act and the crime drama Flinch, and on shows like Workaholics and Happy Endings. Additionally, Segura is well known for hit podcasts like Your Mom’s House and 2 Bears 1 Cave, put on through his and wife Christina Pazsitzky’s Your Mom’s House Studios.

The Director Brothers are best known for creating and directing the Comedy Central series The Gorburger Show, which aired for three seasons. The pair started working together at Funny or Die, and have also directed numerous commercials and music videos.

Previously, Pacific Electric has produced Helms’ films Coffee & Kareem, Corporate Animals and The Clapper, as well as shows like Rutherford Falls and True Story with Ed & Randall, which Helms toplined opposite Randall Park.

Segura is repped by Mosaic, WME, and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis; The Director Brothers by Verve, Artists First and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis; and Dillon by Verve and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis.

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