Why didn't anybody think of this sooner? Greg Mottola and Larry David have been putting the pieces together on their untitled comedy, which would be mostly improvisational and feature a talented group of funny people like Jon Hamm and Michael Keaton. Originally set up with Fox Searchlight, Mottola and David will instead take the project to HBO, a place they both know quite well.
The LA Times notes that talks are underway for the film to premier on the small screen, bypassing theaters and likely earning a prime weekend timeslot. David has been on the network for eight years on Curb Your Enthusiasm, while Mottola currently serves as exec-producer and director of The Newsroom. For HBO, it keeps two of their most high profile creators under the umbrella, and locks up even more premium content for their subscribers. Plus, it's always good to get a guy like Hamm into the fold. Mad Men can't last forever, right? HBO was able to give the film a much bigger budget than the FSL folks were willing to part with.
We still don't know squat about the plot, which will have David starring, outlining each scene, and aiding in writing the script along with Alec Berg, David Mandel, and Jeff Schaffer. HBO's known for giving their creators a wide berth, so if it turns out to be even half as funny as 'Curb' is on a regular basis then I'm all for it.
