Monty Python, the celebrated absurdist comedy troupe from the UK, hasn’t created anything together in some time.
Yes, it’s tough to do absurdist comedy without a straight man, and the troupe’s primary straight man, Graham Chapman was lost to cancer over 20 years ago.
Nonetheless, Monty Python has decided to get together for a new film, and they’ve already signed on popular-but-aging American character actor Robin Williams for the lead role.
The project is currently known as Absolutely Anything, and the synopsis reads like the Jim Carey flick Bruce Almighty, except with Aliens instead of God.
Of course the antics that this omnipowerful being will get up to have been written by Python, and performed by Williams, so we can expect a fresh take on the concept, as well as plenty of fresh jokes.
Terry Jones and Gavin Scott have been working on this script since about the time of Chapman’s death, and Jones is going to direct the picture. The other surviving Pythons, with the exception of Eric Idle, are already set to play the voices of the CGI aliens, and the team is attempting to get Idle to join the fun as well. No word why he’s not already on board, however.
The official synopsis is thus:
“A group of aliens who endow an earthling with the power to do ‘absolutely anything’ to see what a mess he’ll make of things—which is precisely what happens. There’s also a talking dog named Dennis who seems to understand more about the mayhem that ensues than anyone else does.”
True, not much to go on, but enough to give us the tone. I mean: of course there is a talking dog. Isn’t that the first thing you’d do if given god-like powers?
No production or release dates have been announced as of yet for Absolutely Anything.
