Screen Rant last reported on Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s upcoming “geek-alien comedy” entitled Paul at the end of the last month, where we posted about the stellar comedic cast that has been assembled for the movie so far.
Other than casting news, Paul has been shrouded in quite a bit of secrecy, with stars and writers, Pegg and Frost not wanting to let their ideas get out when the movie is only in the filming stage of the game. But today we get our first proper look at Paul in the form of a script review, along with a small excerpt from the script itself.
Just as a reminder: Paul follows two sci-fi geeks who visit the San Diego Comic-Con, and once they’ve enjoyed what the convention has to offer, the duo decide to embark on a road trip to Area 51 for some “UFO sight-seeing.” However, before they get there, they run across a hitchhiking alien by the name of Paul, and decide to help their newfound alien friend find his way home.
The Paul script review comes to us courtesy of Bleeding Cool, where the reviewer, Rich Johnston, gives the movie an unabashed thumbs up. Admittedly, Johnston (a confessed comic book lover) may have enjoyed the script in due part to his being able to relate to aspects of the characters and different events that take place, however it’s nonetheless reassuring to hear so many good things about a movie I’m very much looking forward to. Check out some of Johnston’s script review:
“This script is chock full of gags, bursting at the seams. Comedy of repetition, plenty of pull-back-and-reveals and overflowing pop cultural references including one Back To The Future gag that had me gasping for breath I laughed so hard.
It’s honest, it’s true, yes it’s mocking but in a way that both validates and celebrates both the actual reality and the often unrealized potential of the geek lifestyle… Damn it if the screenplay isn’t moving and poignant in places.”
You can read the rest of Johnston’s script review for Paul over at Bleeding Cool.
On top of the review for the Paul script, Johnston also gives us a segment of the screenplay which introduces us to the two main characters of Graham (Pegg) and Clive (Frost). Have a read for yourself:
EXT. SAN DIEGO STREET. PRESENT – DAY
GRAHAM WILLY (32) and CLIVE GOLLINGS (33) stand in the blazing San Diego sunshine, waiting to cross the road. GRAHAM is thin but his clothes seem too small. He has long greasy hair, buck teeth and thick glasses. CLIVE is bigger and wears a long black leather coat, Red Dwarf T-shirt and boots. His hair is densely curly and shaped like a pyramid.
Four people dressed as BORG from Star Trek pass by. GRAHAM and CLIVE shrug derisively. The cross-walk beeps.
In related news, word has been going around the past few days that Ripley herself, Sigourney Weaver, is in talks to join the cast of Paul. Weaver’s potential role is being kept secret by the actress herself, but if Universal and Working Title have actively pursued her, the role is probably pretty significant (either that, or it’s some sort of cameo/Alien reference).
Just going by the little segment of script above, Paul looks to be something worthy of high anticipation. It’s clear that Pegg and Frost are very into the whole “geek” world that Comic-Con is basically the central hub of. Like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Paul looks to be appealing to those who know their movie/TV show/comic references, but will also appeal to general comedy fans. Will it be as widely appealing as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz? We’ll see.
Paul stars Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen (voice of Paul), Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Jane Lynch, and (possibly) Sigourney Weaver. It is co-written by Pegg and Frost, and is directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad).
Does the positive script review and script segment make you look forward to Paul? What do you think about Weaver possibly joining the already impressive cast?
Paul is slated for a release sometime in 2010.
Sources: Bleeding Cool (via io9), The Playlist and Variety
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