EXCLUSIVE: The Laugh Factory is venturing into feature film production with the launch of Laugh Factory Entertainment; their first project being Adam Rifkin’s stoner comedy, Toad , which Deadline first told you about.
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The new division will be led by new Laugh Factory President David Fuhrer, Head of Entertainment John Weiser and Laugh Factory founder Jamie Masada who are expanding the iconic brand beyond the comedy clubs into film, television, podcasts, digital content, and live events.
Directed by Rifkin and co-written by the filmmaker with Piers Ashworth, Toad, follows the wild story of two naive slackers, Sam (James Paxton of Twisters ) and Alex (Oliver Wyman of Feeling Randy ), who are hired by a crime boss to transport a box of contraband psychedelic toads from LA to Vegas. When the desert heat causes the toads to suffer heatstroke, the two are inadvertently dosed when they give the toads CPR and suddenly find themselves on an hallucinogenic odyssey.
The film is being Produced by future III Entertainment’s Brad Wyman ( Monster ) Michael P.J. Gerstein (L ast Train to Fortune ), as well as producer Mike Kolko.
“ Toad is the perfect project to kick off our expansion into film,” said Fuhrer. “We’re excited to partner with Adam Rifkin to bring this hilarious road trip comedy to life, and to create new opportunities for comedians in all forms of entertainment.”
Weiser added “ Toad is a laugh-out-loud script and the perfect film to launch our new division.” Weiser is a 33-year veteran of Sony Pictures Entertainment and former President of Feature Film and Television Distribution. He has also held key leadership roles for industry giants like Peter Guber and Chuck Barris.
Jamie Masada, founder of the Laugh Factory, said about Toad : “When I first read the script, it reminded me of the time I told Bob Israel he needed to cast a young, upstart comedian named Jim Carrey.”
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Masada added, “There’s a similar kind of wild energy in Toad , and I think this film is going to introduce some new faces to comedy stardom.”
Rifkin’s features include Mousehunt, Detroit Rock City , The Dark Backward and the recently wrapped western, Last Train to Fortune , which stars Malcolm McDowell, James Paxton, Mary Steenburgen, Bernadette Peters and Laura Marano.
Rifkin said, “I’m thrilled to partner with The Laugh Factory. Nobody knows the business of comedy better than they do, and I’m beyond flattered that they’ve chosen Toad to be their first production. I just hope I’m not hallucinating all of this.”
Calum Gray and Max Pirkus will be handling worldwide sales from there newly formed UK company Architect, with executive producer Mark O’Sullivan at DLNQNT.
Toad will begin shooting January 6th in Arizona.
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