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Jorma Taccone Directing the MacGruber Movie with Ryan Phillippe

by Alex Billington
July 7, 2009

Screw the actual MacGuyver movie, this is all we need! Jorma Taccone, who most recently played Chaka in the putrid Land of the Lost movie, is set to make his directorial debut with the MacGruber movie based on the popular SNL skit starring Will Forte. In addition to Forte, who will reprise his role as the titular character, Ryan Phillippe and Val Kilmer are also in negotiations to join the cast. Kristen Wiig will reprise her role as his assistant. Taccone hasn't directed any features, but he did create the character and direct most of the MacGruber skits for SNL. Forte, Taccone, and John Solomon are writing the feature script.

The MacGruber sketches saw Forte as MacGyver's son, who always found himself, along with that week's guest star, in a room with a ticking bomb. MacGruber gets sidelined by personal issues, and the bomb goes off. The story for the film will be a bit different than what we've seen on SNL previously. The legendary, much decorated MacGruber is pulled out of retirement as a monk in Ecuador by a colonel, who needs him once more to fight on behalf of his country. This time the mission involves going up against the evil Cunth (Val Kilmer), who has a nuclear warhead; the mission is personal because Cunth killed MacGruber's bride.

I don't watch SNL anymore, so I'm not too familiar with MacGruber, but it sounds like it could be fun. The last SNL-ish movies we were Hot Rod and Baby Mama, but neither of those did well or were that great. I expect this MacGruber movie to get a lot of buzz, but as for if it'll actually be any good, it's too early to tell.

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adrian

im wondering if they'll bring the son in the movie lol
LINKFX

I've noticed something you are honestly really quite skilled at, Alex, it's creating a slightly vague/slightly misleading headline that makes me always want to read your articles. Not a bad thing at all, titles sell the pieces and I'm sure has a lot to do with the amount of traffic you get here. You create an idea with your title, piecing Ryan Phillipe with MacGruber the way you did made me think that MacGruber was going to be starring him, which is far from the truth...made me laugh. Anyways, keep on making those eye-catching headlines!
kbrave

I'll add this to the list of movies I won't be going to. I thought that, much like a lot of the skits they come up with on SNL, this one was just plain stupid, and not funny in the least.
He tries so hard...

SNL has gotten a lot better lately but generally still sucks and has gone way down hill. This is not a good sign it's gotten any better.
John is a Basterd

Its like a 12 second skit, how the hell can they make a movie based off of it? Dumb.
Stell

HOT ROD WAS AMMAZING! Seriously Alex, revisit that thing one day with an open mind (stoned/drunk or not) and some buddies and i promise you all will laugh hard
http://erikkeating.blogspot.com erik

MACGRUBERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sabes

SNL skits to movies, no. Along with the other SNL people making movies. They just need to stop. I'm not going to bother with it.
http://digaphobia.com Mark

Jesus, not another SNL film. There have been like.......... three pretty good ones. The first three to be made, funnily enough. I wish they would learn that sketch comedy is virtually impossible to turn into feature film comedy. Keep the sketches where they belong! That aside, (this isn't directed at anyone here, but...) I love it when people comment on how SNL has gone down hill, sucks "now," should be canceled, etc. SNL has been around for, what, almost 35 years. People seem to think the show was awesome for about 30 years and then suddenly went downhill. The show has doldrums from time to time (the early 80's, the mid '90s), but it has always come back from those times healthier and funnier. The show came very close to cancellation several times, but has also launched the careers of some of the best comedic writers and actors working today. Don't get me wrong, the show isn't great and hasn't been for a long while (maybe the longest period in its history), but I think NBC is wise to keep the engine running until someone new takes the wheel. They just need to stop thinking they can stretch four minutes into eighty.
Mega Jet Jaguar

MacGruber could work as a movie. Will Forte is hilarious. I loved the old The Falconer skits that he used to do on SNL years ago. As for Hot Rod, I thought that it was a great movie.
dan

i like the concept......... the macguyver tv show was really cheesy.
Tim (another one)

Everyone out there sucks. Of course SNL skits would work. BUT... and someone please tell Lorne Micheals... in a "multi-feature" GRINDHOUSE type setting. Take 2 or 3 of their best and put em together. Best case scenario: an un-cut not-limits version of SNL. Worst case scenario an un-cut no-limits SNL. Maybe even just Will Forte's characters, which could have "sequels" giving other SNL cast members to shine. Finally for all the SNL movies suck people - Blue Brothers. Coneheads worked too. Yes I seen all the others too, but a lot of non-SNL movies are shit too. Oh and I'll cry if they don't get Shia to at least cameo
Jeep-Fu

When is Hollywood gonna understand that SNL movies suck?!
Nick Sears

So after the first explosion.... then what?
clippers350

Doesn't MgGrubber die in the explosion after drinking his Pepsi?
Andrew

You know what, I love the MacGruber skits, and since it has all the major actors and the creator signed on I'm willing to give it a chance. Just make sure that every warehouse/hideaway looks exactly the same, and every scene ends with an explosion.
jedishaft

There is clearly 1 word that does not apply in that artilce, which is "Popular". If you replaced it regular, or stupid, or boring it would make the article more accurate.
http://www.skonmovies.com Sean Kelly

McGrubber is one of the better recurring skits SNL currently has, though you have to agree that the show doesn't have a great track record when it comes to film adaptations. For the record, Hot Rod and Baby Mama had NOTHING to do with SNL other than cast members. I believe that last truly SNL-based movie was The Ladies Man WAAAAAAAAAAAAY back in 2000.
Ken

Other than being one of my favorites, it's nice to see a funny character from SNL being made into a movie, it's been a long time. If they found a way to make the Roxbury guys into a full movie, they can do this, and I'm sure a lot better. Superstar and Ladies Man were dumb. It'll always be hard to top the Waynes Worlds. An old man fashioning a kayak out of a log? What?
LW

Those who thinks think SNL-skits turned movies suck have obviously never seen Wayne's World or Night at the Roxbury.
S

Um...why? IMO, the only funny parts of SNL anymore are the opening sketch and the Weekend Update, though now that Poehler is gone it's become rather flat. I miss Dennis Miller doing it.
SHANEDAV

BOX OFFICE FLOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Moviegimp

They are funny skits on SNL, one of the only funny things they have left. A movie though, no way, no how. After the first five minutes if they can stretch it that far it will be all down hill. There have only been a couple of good SNL movie, Cone Heads and Wayne's World come to mind, most of the rest sucked and will suck. If these people want to do movie then do something original. Don't try and take a two minute joke and make a 90 minute movie, it won't work.
Al

we already know the ending.
http://digaphobia.com Mark

#12 - That seems ridiculous to me. An "un-cut no-limits SNL?" What would they be adding which would make such a thing better or more worthwhile to watch for an hour and a half? SNL isn't limited much, and tits and fucks aren't going to suddenly enable a single subject sketch (or even a few) to become funnier, or work for longer. Plus, no SNL film would ever be going for a hard R. SNL works because it is so tightly formatted. Bad sketches can only go on for so long, and good ones can't be long enough to lose momentum. SNL movies DON'T work because they take intentionally thin ideas and jokes and stretch them even more thinly. I liked Blues Brothers, and it worked because it used action sequences and a TON of external talent to supplement the one dimensional characters from the sketch. Were it not for all of those famous people, the movie would have been totally boring. Wayne's World wasn't bad, and certainly made an effort to both flesh out its characters and to place them in a situation which made sense. It wasn't perfect, but appealed to those who weren't familiar with the skit. As for Coneheads, I hated that movie. It didn't expand on the (gimmick) premise of the sketch at all and had no appeal for the unfamiliar viewer. It almost seemed like several sketches cut apart and poorly stitched back together. The only other film which could be argued a "good" SNL spin off is The Waterboy, but it was more inspired by Sandler's Canteen Boy sketch than based on it. Plus, it was Sandler, not the plot, which made the film work (...sort of).
http://www.websbestcomics.com Scott Reed

This is going to be great.
angryKid

Mega Fail Skit. Mega Fail Movie.
john

straight to dvd
KOrm

I actually thought Hot Rod was hilarious. However, we've seen how well RECENT SNL skits do as movies. There's not much to go off of, and they usually fall flat.