Pete Davidson Story to be Judd Apatow’s Next Big Project

Pete Davidson is going to be the star and quasi-subject of Judd Apatow’s next movie, THR announced today.  The film will begin production in late Spring or early Summer this year, and will be semi-autobiographical.  There’s a lot to choose from for a dramatic or comedic narrative based on Pete’s life.  His story starts young when his father died in the towers on 9/11 (Pete was only 7), and then Pete started comedy when he was just 16, gaining quick success and becoming the youngest person to join the cast of Saturday Night Live when he was only 20.  Since then, there’s been drug use, rehab, a relationship with Cazzie David followed by a whirlwind and very public courtship, relationship, engagement, split with Ariana Grande, plus Davidson brings to the table depression, anxiety and a tremendous amount of talent.

Judd of course brings a history that reads like the history of comedy over the past few decades, and an uncanny ability to turn talented but underseen performers into household names, (Lena Dunham, Kumail Nanjiani, Amy Schumer, and to a lesser extent, Pete Holmes to name a few).

Apatow will work with Barry Mendel (Funny People,The Big Sick, Bridesmaids) and Universal.

Can Apatow make Davidson a movie star the way he turned Amy Schumer from stand up and sketch performer to a Hollywood red carpet A lister? Davidson already has a bigger head start in the fame department, partly because of his Saturday Night Live status, but even more for his gossip column presence, so this seems like all the ingredients are in place for a hit..

The announcement came hot on the heels of Davidson’s Sundance debut in the new comedy Big Time Adolescence which by the way is the project that led to Pete’s bleached blond phase.  In BTA, Davidson plays Zeke, a directionless 23 year old drug dealer with a day job, and a 16 year old best friend who is the Felix to Davidson’s Oscar- straight laced, and nerdish.

 

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