By Errol Morris is embarking on his second non-documentary feature film, a comedy about cryogenics called Freezing People is Easy. The film is written by Zach Helm and produced by This American Life‘s Ira Glass. ($5 says Ira’s cousin Philip does the soundtrack.) Morris’s cast is filling out quite nicely. Back in July 2011, Paul Rudd signed on for the film. Just yesterday, Christopher Walken and Owen Wilson joined the production. Kristen Wiig has entered talks for a role as well. Since Wiig passed on a Bridesmaids sequel, she may be free for the kooky period comedy.
Freezing People is Easy is based on a true story about cryonics enthusiasts in 1960s California. The main source materials are an episode of This American Life (which you can listen to here) and the memoir We Froze the First Man (“by Robert F. Nelson as told to Sandra Stanley,” says the book cover).
There’s something about amateur scientists trying to beat death that is funny in a sad way; that may just be the nature of the phrase “amateur scientists,” though. More than anything, I wonder what Morris’s approach will be to this material. I’ve never seen The Dark Wind, his only other non-documentary, so I can’t gauge how Morris is at narrative filmmaking. I’m just hoping he retains the essayistic approach of his documentaries somehow.
[Via Collider]