The dance has, as far as I know, been going on for a little while, so
it’s exciting to see Michael Cera in final negotiations to star in
Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Life, the adaptation of the single best comic book on the market in the 21st century.
Cera, who you of course know from Arrested Development and Superbad, would play the title character, a Canadian slacker who falls in love
with a girl and whose seven evil ex-boyfriends he must defeat. Let me
be upfront here: Cera is not who I would choose to play Scott Pilgrim,
but that’s based on his previous work. I’ve long felt that Cera’s
current persona – the sweetly awkward nervous nerdy guy – is one that
he needs to abandon; Scott Pilgrim is a much more emotive, weirdly
self-confident character, so this could be the role he needs.
Regardless, it’s Edgar Wright directing. I’ve been pestering Edgar
about this movie ever since I met him, and it looks like I’ll be able
to wind that pestering down as early as this fall, which may be when Scott Pilgrim starts
shooting. To say that this is a dream match between director and
material is like saying that Mount Fuji is a bit of an uphill walk. So with Edgar on the scripting and directing duties (along with the great Michael Bacall on the screenplay), I don’t think I have much to fear. I’m just glad that this is what’s next.
Jesus, I love Scott Pilgrim.