Chaka Like Directing, Chaka Direct SNL ‘MacGruber’ Movie

Posted by Dr. Cole Abaius (cole.abaius@filmschoolrejects.com) on July 7, 2009

tacconedirectingmacgruber

Unless I was reading my morning edition of Production Weekly incorrectly – something I never do – it seems as though the nearly-unable-to-speak, man/ape/creature Chaka from Land of the Lost is going to be directing the MacGruber film based off the SNL advertisements for Pepsi. Either that, or Jorma Taccone, the guy who played Chaka and is 1/3 of the Lonely Island crew, is going to direct. Still, it’s impressive that he went from humping Anna Friel’s leg to calling the shots.

As you may know, a lot of news outlets are incorrectly claiming that Taccone (who also happens to write for SNL) will be directing the adaptation of an SNL sketch for a film. Of course, it’s more accurate to say that he’s directing an adaptation of a Pepsi commercial.

It’s a Pepsi commercial that happens to be hilarious and feature SNL actors, but it’s still definitely a commercial.

You have to imagine that the people who came up with “Debbie Downer” are pissed that this low-rent, random, paid-for sketch is getting a feature film before they do. But everyone else should be excited because 1) It’s basically a huge parody of “MacGuyver” so there’s no doubt that there’s material for a full movie and b) Will Forte is a genius.

Filming starts next month in New Mexico.

What do you think?

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Sean Finn

MacGruber was a sketch on SNL before it was a Pepsi commercial.

RobHunter

Yeah, this was an SNL sketch before it climbed to the heights of television advertising.

Also, MacGuyver? Is that a manga series with Richard Dean Anderson about a guy in body armor who can build a bomb using only peanut butter and a bloody tampon?

TW

You're sort of right.

Yes, it was a high-priced commercial. HOWEVER, the sketch was born on SNL two years earlier -- the spots helped bring in RIchard Dean Anderson (the original MacGyver) into Pepsi-themed commercials during the January 31, 2009 episode of SNL. They were then shipped off to the Super Bowl the following night (also on NBC). Conventional wisdom was that Pepsi's cash helped bring in the pocket-knife wielding hero, and they paid for the weekend as a package.

But it was originally a sketch, they just figured out how to get somebody else to pay to air Super Bowl commercials for SNL and The Lonely Island (whose album dropped a few weeks after the Super Bowl).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacGruber

RobertFure

This is going to be insipid. Color me not giving a fuck.

teknokracy

Can't they just settle for a few more good sketches? Lorne Michaels, are you listening?

Chaka Like Directing, Chaka Direct SNL ‘MacGruber’ Movie

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