‘Downhill’: Will Ferrell Joins Julia Louis-Dreyfus in ‘Force Majeure’ Remake
The skiing trip just got a little busier. Deadline reports that Will Ferrell is joining Julia Louis-Dreyfus in “Downhill,” the English-language remake of Ruben Östlund’s acclaimed “Force Majeure.” Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, who helmed “The Way Way Back” and won an Oscar for co-writing Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants,” are directing for Fox Searchlight.
Johannes Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli, and Kristofer Hivju co-starred in the original, which won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize and earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign-Language Film; Östlund’s follow-up, “The Square,” won the Palme d’Or last year.
Read More:Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Talks to Produce and Star in ‘Force Majeure’ Remake
“Obviously, Searchlight is like family at this point. We’re honored to be working with them for a third time. But, to also have our paths cross with Julia, and a fellow Groundling alum in Will, makes this all the more special and exciting for us,” Faxon and Rash said in a statement Deadline.
Anthony Bregman, who’s producing with Dreyfus, added, “’Downhill’ is a tale of bad judgment and moral weakness, so how fitting that Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell embody those values. Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, of course, are more than qualified to capture the fallout.”
Completing the statement trifecta are David Greenbaum and Matthew of Fox Searchlight. “We’re thrilled to once again be working with the inimitable duo of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. And it goes without saying that bringing Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell together for the first time on screen is a dream come true,” they said. “The Austrian alps are in for a comedic avalanche.”
“Downhill” is set to begin production in Austria early next year. Jesse Armstrong (“Four Lions”) is writing the screenplay.
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