Adam McKay Talks The Goods: The Don Ready Story

While visiting the set of Adam McKay's new film Step Brothers, which stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, we got a chance to chat with the director about the upcoming big screen adaptation of the classic Sid & Marty Krofft Saturday morning television series Land of the Lost. It seems that Adam McKay is no longer directing that film.

McKay also told us about his upcoming film The Goods: The Don Ready Story. Here's what he had to say:

So, you are supposed to be directing the big screen version of Land of the Lost?

Adam McKay: Yeah.

How daunting is it to be doing something where you don't have the freedom to improvise, because its such an effects heavy movie.

Adam McKay: The reason I didn't want to do that, was because we'd just done Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. And I wanted to do smaller, character driven stuff. It just seemed like the most fun. It really came down to doing Step Brothers or Land of the Lost. And I went with this. But, God, I used to love Land of the Lost. That was a painful movie to turn down. Just the idea of getting to design the Sleestak outfits was exciting enough for me. I was going to try and get Bill Laimbeer to come back as an homage to his original character. But, yeah. I had to choose between the two. They have a great director for it. Have they announced who it is yet?

No, I don't think they have.

Adam McKay: I don't think its official, so I won't say anything. But they have a really good director on it.

You are also producing now. What do you have lined up?

Adam McKay: We have the The Goods: The Don Ready Story. We are getting ready to do that. I'm actually talking to Mary Steenburgen about doing that.

That's a used car salesman film?

Adam McKay: It is, but its closer to the big auto mall type of thing. It's not a dingy used car lot. That is another ensemble thing that we are doing. We have a lot of improvisers in it. There are a ton of guest appearances. Will Ferrell is going to do a cameo. Neil Brennan is directing that. We start shooting it in early December. Then we have two other films that we are trying to get ready by March, but neither one is official yet. Then we have our HBO show East Bound and Down. That got picked up. We will start that in January. I think I might direct an episode of that. And Judd Apatow said he might do one as well. That is looking good.

With Don Ready, are you worried about being in the shadow of Used Cars? The greatest used car movie of all time?

Adam McKay: Sadly, I think only the people sitting in this circle remember Used Cars. I figure, the regular people have forgotten about it. Of course, I love that film. But ours is very different. It has a very Glengarry Glen Ross type of feel about it. It's more about a meta car dealership. It's more about the giant gorilla on the roof type of thing.

So it's a funny Glengarry Glen Ross?

Adam McKay: If it turns out that way, I'd be really happy. I think I'm better than Mamet, I would say.

Step Brothers opens July 25th, 2008.