Bobby Digital in Judd Apatow's Comedic Chamber

Apologies extended for that groan-worthy headline, by the way.

Here's a bit of casting/exciting-movies-in-production news that I first heard a couple weeks ago, but the sheer coolness of said news didn't totally register until I flipped through the new issue of Vanity Fair (very solid issue overall, and Kate Winslet looks downright amazing on the cover, it must be said).



Inside, there's a two-page spread previewing the cast of Judd Apatow's next directing job, Funny People. The feature's headline is "The Last Supper," and it's basically a super-short narrative placed above a shot of the entire cast doing a "table reading," or rehearsing the script sans set and camera(s).

Seated in the pic are Apatow (just a reminder for those who may not read Entertainment Weekly religiously like yours truly---Apatow wrote-directed The 40-Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up; produced Superbad, Pineapple Express, Anchorman, Step Brothers, You Don't Mess With the Zohan, and was also the brains behind the short-lived, but funny as shit, sitcom Freaks & Geeks. Yeah, he's brolic with his), his wife/frequent co-star Leslie Mann (Katherine Heigl's scene-stealing sister in Knocked Up), Eric Bana (yes, he's in a comedy...dude started off as a stand-up comedian, believe it or not), Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill (fat dude in Superbad), Jason Schwartzman (quirky yet pretty great character funny-actor, IMDB him), and Adam Sandler.

And then, the reason for this post in the first place.....The Rza!!! Yes, the Wu-Tang leader himself. Aka, the dude responsible for my lifelong hip-hop fascination and obsession. One of the people I'd throw into my "if you could have dinner with five people, living or dead, who would they be?" scenarion. Iconic producer and at-times-great-but-mostly-tolerable MC who's been dabbling in acting for some years.



Wish I had a scan of the article to post, it's a sort-of-surreal sight to see (alliteration much?).....Rza laughing alongside Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman, while Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen chuckle mere feet away, next to Eric Bana cracking a semi-smile, positioned inches apart from Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow, who's two button-cute daughters (also Mann's fictional kids in Knocked Up) are playing in front of the table.

How fucking cool is this? Rza in an Apatow comedy, on screen with Sandler and Rogen, two of the funniest mofos around (I still believe Adam Sandler has some actually-humorous movies left in him, so I regularly forgive him for the dreck he's dropped post-Big Daddy)....Funny People is about stand-up comedians, and the soul-searches and comings-of-age a specific few go through. Vague description, yes, but it's all I got so far. The lead is Sandler, though I'm sure everybody else will have meaty secondary roles. Apatow never keeps things "one-man-shows."

The Rza being funny? Sure, why not? Who knows, maybe he'll even toss in a "Bong bong" or two. This actually makes great sense, the Rza/Apatow connection. Rogen has expressed his love of Wu-Tang on several occasions, even referring to the Apatow machine, jokingly, as the "Jew Tang Clan."

Not the Vanity Fair shot, but this does feature both Rza and Rogen, from that great Complex magazine cover shoot they did together in the summer of '07:


***also worth mentioning: Rza is co-producing a remake of cheesy-yet-charming The Last Dragon, that '80s knockoff of Bruce Lee lore. So, yeah, that's happening. Kind of hate the idea, but I'll give Bob Digi doubt's benefit. Until the casting of Vanity's part is revealed, which they best not fuck up. Chick better be finer than Merlot, to even do my boo Vanity justice. I bet she's still slammin', 23 calendars later.


Dreamy, with blown-out '80s hair and all.
[Kudos to anybody who can spot William H. Macy and Chazz Palmintieri in early, blink-and-you'll-miss-'em Last Dragon roles.]