Cheech & Chong Reuniting For New Movie For The First Time Since The 80s
Cheech #Cheech
Cheech & Chong will be reuniting onscreen for a new biopic for the first time since the height of their popularity in the mid-1980s. Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong first came onto the scene in the 1970s with their standup comedy routines and albums that focused on counterculture, stoner culture, and the hippie and free love era they grew up in. Their success also led to several feature films, including their theatrical debut in 1978’s Up In Smoke, which was a massive success, bringing in over $100 million on a $2 million budget.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the legendary comedy duo released a joint statement announcing the development of the film, which will be directed by Kristian Mercado, who recently released his own debut feature, the Anthony Mackie-led If You Were The Last. In the statement, the pair shared their excitement with being able to share how their own stories and how they got together despite their unique backgrounds. Check out the full quote below:
We are excited to show the world how two dudes from completely different backgrounds got together, changed comedy, and made cannabis mainstream!
Cheech & Chong have not appeared together onscreen since 1985, however, as both comedians pursued their solo acting careers. Marin has since starred opposite Don Johnson on the cop show Nash Bridges while Chong found success as a recurring star on sitcom That 70s Show and recently returned to the role of Leo for the spinoff series That 90s Show. Chong also served time in prison in the early 2000s for selling weed paraphernalia.
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The upcoming biopic will be written by Danya Jimenez and Hannah McMechan. Todd Lieberman and Alex Young of Hidden Pictures will produce the film alongside Douglas Banker and Trevor Engelson, the latter of which has said that working with the iconic comedy duo is “a childhood dream” of his. The film will follow Marin, who was raised in the California suburbs by Mexican-American parents and attended college, and Chong, who was a member of a soul music group on Canada’s West Coast after dropping out of high school, as they find each other and reach new comedic heights.
It remains to be seen if the pair will play themselves or if they have other roles in mind. It will be intriguing to see whether a new generation warms to the comedy of Cheech & Chong in their first joint project since the widespread legalization of marijuana in the U.S.
Source: EW