Josh Gad Will Play Famous Film Critic in New Movie | Playbill

News Josh Gad Will Play Famous Film Critic in New Movie Josh Gad (The Book of Mormon, "Frozen") is set to play the late Roger Ebert in the new film "Russ & Roger," according to the Hollywood Reporter. Gad will star opposite Will Ferrell as Russ Meyers.

"Russ & Roger" tells the story of the creation of Ebert and Meyers' exploitation film "Beyond The Valley of The Dolls." It is described as "a debaucherous comedy centering on two outsiders who defied the Hollywood establishment and made one of the first X-rated films ever released by a major movie studio, having the party of a lifetime in the process."

Ebert was a budding film critic in the 1960s who became close with Meyers after writing him a letter of admiration. He went on to become the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1975. In 2005, Ebert became the first film critic to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

Michael Winterbottom will direct "Russ & Roger." It features a script by Christopher Cluess, with polishing by Winterbottom, Neil Gibbons and Rob Gibbons.

Gad will also appear as Le Fou in the 2017 live-action "Beauty and the Beast" film.

 
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