It's hard to get excited over any film that has Peter Chelsom directing it, and a quick glance at his filmography explains why. Not only was he the man behind the awful Warren Beatty "comedy"(I don't remember laughing once), Town & Country, but also sappy crap like The Mighty and the horrible Shall We Dance? remake. His biggest hit by far, which he'll never be remember for, was as director of Hannah Montana: The Movie. But now he's attached to a project that is worth paying attention to, if only for the actor he's got to lead it.
Simon Pegg will star in Hector and the Search for Happiness, based on Francois Lelord's novel about a charming and irresistible psychiatrist who wonders why his patients continue to be unhappy when they live in the beautiful city of Paris. So, armed with a renewed courage, he goes off on a global quest to find the secrets of happiness so as to help his patients, but also himself. Chelsom will not only direct, but co-write the script with Tinker Lindsay.Although Pegg has found great success outside of his "Three Flavours" mates, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright, as part of the Star Trek and Mission: Impossible franchises, he has had considerably less success when leading a film on his own. With Chelsom behind the camera I worry we may be looking at another middling effort like Run Fatboy Run.
For those worried this may put the brakes on the final leg of the Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz trilogy, you can relax. Filming will take place after The World's End wraps up later this year.
