Sony announced today that Frank Coraci (The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy, Click) has been hired to direct the Kevin James MMA movie (“Mixed Martial Farts?” “Paul Blart: Mall Cro Cop?”). I guess it could be worse, they could’ve gotten the guy from I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry. Anyway, I doubt either of these “directors” does more than set up lights and head down to craft services while Sandler shoots the movie.
Deadline revealed the film when it first took shape last fall, with James playing a physics teacher who moonlights as a mixed martial arts fighter to raise money and save the music program his students love. He makes it all the way to the UFC. Sony was eager to be back in business with James after Paul Blart: Mall Cop turned into a sleeper hit, and Coraci’s The Zookeeper tested so high that Sony slotted the film for released on July 8, 2011.
So basically, Sony took a script by Allan Loeb, the worst screenwriter in Hollywood, based on an MMA-saves-the-rec-center idea I came up with in five seconds while making fun of Never Back Down three years ago, and THEY CAN’T GET IT INTO THEATERS FAST ENOUGH! MORE COCAINE! I imagine this will do for the UFC what Hulk Hogan’s Santa With Muscles did for the WWE.
If Kevin James doesn’t win at least one of his fights by farts and/or groin shots, everything I know about the world is wrong. “Winner by tap out due to… farts?”