Amazon MGM Studios Snags New Comedy Starring Marvel Fan Favorite
Amazon MGM Studios has landed Compulsive Liar, a high-profile comedy uniting a Marvel actor and a Ghostbusters star, with fresh intel hinting at when the next update will drop as the release rollout takes shape.
Kumail Nanjiani is lining up another comedy, and this one has a hook I love: a guy lies so much that one day every single lie comes true. Amazon MGM Studios just picked up the project, so here is where it stands and who is involved.
What is 'Compulsive Liar'?
'Compulsive Liar' is an English-language take on the hit Quebec film 'Menteur'. In the original movie, a chronic fibber named Simon blows off an intervention from his family and coworkers, goes to bed, and wakes up in a world where all his lies have become reality. It is a clean, chaotic premise with a lot of room for a lead like Nanjiani to play.
Amazon MGM has the package
Amazon MGM Studios has acquired the project and confirmed that Kumail Nanjiani is attached to star. The movie is being produced by 21 Laps and Gaumont, with Emily V. Gordon and Nanjiani on board as executive producers. For anyone keeping score, this marks a reunion for Nanjiani and Gordon after 'The Big Sick' put them on the awards map.
Who is making it
- Source material: Adapting Quebec hit 'Menteur', written by Émile Gaudreault, Éric K. Boulianne, and Sébastien Ravary; directed by Gaudreault.
- Star: Kumail Nanjiani.
- Producers: Shawn Levy and Dan Levine for 21 Laps; Nicolas Atlan and Sidonie Dumas for Gaumont.
- Executive producers: Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani, alongside Holly Brown for Gaumont and Émile Gaudreault.
- Development: Emily Feher is overseeing the adaptation for 21 Laps.
- Studio: Amazon MGM Studios.
Why this team makes sense
Nanjiani and Gordon previously scored an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay with 'The Big Sick', which also landed Best First Screenplay at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, Best Comedy at the Critics Choice Awards, multiple guild and industry nominations, and a spot on AFI's Top 10 Movies of the Year. This is their lane: character-first comedy with a sharp, high-concept twist.
Where else to find Nanjiani
He has a new stand-up special, 'Night Thoughts', hitting Hulu on December 19. On TV, you have probably seen him in 'Only Murders in the Building', 'Poker Face', 'Welcome to Chippendales', 'Obi-Wan Kenobi', 'Little America', 'Silicon Valley', 'Very Young Frankenstein', and the upcoming 'Fallout' season two. On the film side, he is set for 'Ella McCay', 'Driver's Ed', and 'The Breadwinner'.
Timing and what to expect next
No release window yet. The project is early, but with Amazon MGM steering and 21 Laps/Gaumont producing, expect the casting and timeline pieces to come into focus as development moves along.