Though he went to great lengths to become cool in Project X, it looks like actor Thomas Mann is right back to being a dork. But that’s okay, because unlike Project X, his new endeavor, King Dork, actually sounds like it has a chance to be funny and entertaining. According to a report from Variety, King Dork was the first project that Gary Sanchez Productions bought when it was formed by Adam McKay and Will Ferrell back in 2006. Adapted from a Frank Portman novel of the same name, D.V. DeVincentis’ (High Fidelity) script tells the story of a couple of late 80s-era outsiders who bond over a love of classic rock and form a friendship that helps get them through high school.

Mann is in talks to play the lead kid, and It’s Kind of a Funny Story star Keir Gilchrist his friend. Parks and Recreations’ Nick Offerman is in negotiations to play the Mann character’s stepdad; and if everybody ends up signing on they will all be directed by Gary Sanchez vet Matt Piedmont (Casa de mi Padre).

If there was anything redeeming about the soul-sucking experience of getting through Project X, it was that Mann always made a relatable protagonist, even when he was acting the fool. So it should be interesting to see him get the chance to work with different material while surrounded by legitimately funny people. Nobody wants to go through life being remembered as that kid from the movie about the party, no matter how much money it made selling tickets to fifteen-year-olds.