‘Vacation’ Directors on Griswolds’ New Road Trip and Casting Chris Hemsworth
Though they cut their teeth in the TV world, Jonathan Goldstein (“The New Adventures of Old Christine”) and John Francis Daley (“Bones”) are ready to make a run at the movie biz. After breaking out as writers on the “Horrible Bosses” franchise, the pair are co-writers/directors of New Line’s reboot of classic comedy franchise “Vacation.”
What was it that drew you to this job?
Daley: It was Rusty grown up, with Ed Helms playing him, not Clark Griswold.
Goldstein: The family road trip movie hasn’t changed, and we felt we could bring that to a new generation.
Is there a benefit to writing something you know is getting an R rating?
Daley: Usually, we go as far as we can to make ourselves laugh, but know we have to dial it back in order to get that rating. With an R, we didn’t have to worry about censorship, but also didn’t want to just go after the low-hanging fruit. The idea was always to come from a hopeful, innocent place that turned bad very quickly.
How did the Chris Hemsworth casting come along?
Daley: New Line pushed for him. It wasn’t until the day he was there that we got to see him in that role fully, so there were some early nerves.
Goldstein: We had always imagined a dramatic actor in the part, because it almost works better. The penis joke (featured, uh, prominently in the trailer) was in the script, and it was a big reason he signed on.
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