EXCLUSIVE: Emmy winner Chris O’Dowd (The IT Crowd) has inked a deal to join comedian Bill Burr in Bender, the coming-of-age comedy shooting in Ireland this summer.
Described as Superbad meets Derry Girls, Bender is based on the late-’70s, post-punk Dublin coming-of-age experiences of Adrian Cunningham, who penned the script. The story unfolds amid the frenzy surrounding an impending papal visit.
O’Dowd plays a self-made family man trying to put on a brave face while his business, his marriage, and his faith begin to crumble amid a brutal economic recession.
As previously announced, Burr plays a gruff American record-store owner who convinces a ragtag gang of teenage misfits that their best, and possibly only, chance to lose their virginity before graduating high school is at a massive open-air mass for the visiting Pope.
We were first to report on Burr’s involvement, along with that of Pluribus helmer Adam Bernstein, who is aboard to direct.
Stephen McCormack and Craig Verdon of Reflektor Media are producing in partnership with actress Lesley-Ann Brandt (Presumed Innocent, Lucifer) through The Mal Picture Company and Cunningham through Martello Films, with Burr serving as an executive producer.
An Irish actor known for roles in projects like The IT Crowd, Bridesmaids, Get Shorty, and Slumberland, O’Dowd has most recently been seen starring in the Apple series The Big Door Prize, with additional roles in the shows Small Town, Big Story and Black Mirror. Upcoming, he’ll be seen in two films from Amazon MGM Studios: the comedy The Sheep Detectives with Hugh Jackman, as well as Luca Guadagnino’s drama Artificial focused on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
O’Dowd is repped by CAA and 3 Arts Entertainment.
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