Joel McHale to Play Chevy Chase in Netflix's Movie About The Origins of National Lampoon

Netflix is making a film called A Futile and Stupid Gesture that's about the origins of National Lampoon, and THR reports that Joel McHale has been hired to play Chevy Chase. This should be especially interesting to those who watched Community, NBC's comedy series on which McHale co-starred with Chase. Over the years, McHale hasn't been afraid to riff about Chase's dickish actions and gruff personality, but it seems like his own acerbic wit and penchant for sarcastic delivery was probably influenced by Chase's early career, so there's a nice ironic touch to this casting.

A Futile and Stupid Gesture stars Will Forte as National Lampoon co-founder Douglas Kenney and Domhnall Gleeson as co-founder Henry Beard, and it's being directed by Wet Hot American Summer's David Wain.

Kenney was the editor of the Harvard Lampoon when he met Henry Beard and Robert Hoffman, which, soon after graduation, resulted in the creation of National Lampoon, the humor magazine that became a major force and brand in 1970s comedy. Kenney ended up going Hollywood and succumbed to drug and alcohol issues before falling off a cliff in Hawaii under mysterious circumstances.

Kenney co-wrote Caddyshack, the 1980 comedy that was an early Chase hit and the two were close friends. Chase was with his troubled pal in Hawaii before his death but returned to Los Angeles for work. He was set to fly back when he received word that Kenney was missing.

National Lampoon was a hugely influential magazine that launched the careers of John Hughes, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Harold Ramis, and many more. I'm very curious to see how this film turns out. Shooting starts this month, so I expect it to pop up on Netflix either late this year or early next year.