Justin Theroux to Bring ‘Air Guitar’ to the People

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on October 27, 2009

If you’ve ever held witness to an “air guitar” competition, then you will undoubtedly share in my excitement for this next story. In early 2007, I had the honor of catching Alexandra Lipsitz’s ferociously entertaining documentary Air Guitar Nation (read my review) during its extremely limited theatrical run. Later that year, fellow Fat Guy at the Movies Kevin Carr and I attended a regional air guitar competition in Columbus, Ohio and met Dan Crane (aka rocker Bjorn Turoque, pictured above with David “C-Diddy” Jung), one of the stars of the doc. It was an energetic, rockin’ affair that has stuck with me ever since. So much so that earlier this year, I decided that the most rockin’ double feature of all-time would be a double-bill of Air Guitar Nation and this year’s sensation Anvil! The Story of Anvil. Trust me, that two-some of rock odysseys would blow your mind.

I tell you that story to tell you this one. Screenwriter Justin Theroux, who you might know from penning Tropic Thunder and Iron Man 2, has signed on to produce the Paramount comedy Air Guitar, the story of the competitive world of imaginary licks and real scissor kicks, according to THR’s Risky Business. Mike Lisbe and Nate Reger (both of TV’s Just Shoot Me) have signed on to pen the script, which will be set in the world of air guitar competitions and will include colorful characters, much like the ones that participate in the real-life games.

Theroux is said to not be considering directing or staring in the film. He recently took on the role of an evil wizard in David Gordon Green’s Your Highness. In 2006, Drillbit Taylor and Without a Paddle director Steven Brill was attached to direct the project (then at DreamWorks), but he has since moved on to another untitled college comedy. Currently, Paramount is seeking a director.

The project will be loosely based on Dan Crane’s book To Air is Human, which chronicles his rise as part of the U.S. Air Guitar Championships, which was optioned by Dreamworks on 2006.

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