# Confederacy of Dunces is going to be a movie. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 6, 2002, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860 "2002-12-06T04:46:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/21 "2002-12-09T17:11:37Z")
\*\*Oliver Platt[/p], definitely. PSH is good, but Platt is great at playing abrasive characters and he is a lot closer to how I imagined IJR looking. ---
**Author:** ![RadioactiveGayBabyWhale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@RadioactiveGayBabyWhale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioactiveGayBabyWhale)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/22 "2003-01-18T05:54:29Z")
I think Wayne Knight would definitely do a decent job. I don’t think I’d like to see Philip Seymour Hoffman, I don’t like the cut of that fellow’s jib for some reason. Has anyone been cast besides Drew Barrymore? I gather not. I don’t know how the plot of the book justifies her getting a “starring” role, but [maybe I’ll be able to deal with it](http://www.joblo.com/movienews/1100.htm). Holy Toledo! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/23 "2003-01-18T06:11:26Z")
Ages: Wayne Knight: 48 Oliver Platt: 43 Vincent D’Onofrio: 43 Philip Seymour Hoffman: 35 Jack Black: 33 Ignatius J. Reilly: 30 ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/24 "2003-01-18T06:17:47Z")
Anybody here see _Office Space_ (1999)? Stephen Root, who played the beyond-nerdy Milton Waddams, would be good as Ignatius, although I don’t know how he would do with long passages of declamatory dialogue, as he mostly mumbles in _Office Space_. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/25 "2003-01-18T06:49:15Z")
Stephen Root was also Jimmy James on _Newsradio_. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/26 "2003-01-18T07:15:48Z")
I can’t say I’ve thought about it much before, but, now that I’ve read the OP I realize Phillip Seymour Hoffman is the only person in the world to play IJR. That is so fucking perfect. Well I could almost see Jack Black. But PSH is the better actor. I don’t see Wayne Knight at all. ---
**Author:** ![Jello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@Jello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jello)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/27 "2003-10-29T22:02:46Z")
Apparently Will Ferrell got the role. Interview from this week’s Onion AV Club: > [@](#): > > O: Are you doing A Confederacy Of Dunces? > > WF: Yeah. It’s now kind of gone back into a bit of a holding pattern. When the money is there, it’s definitely something that the producer and director want me to do. I would be thrilled if it finally gets together, but it’s been fraught with peril for a long time. > > O: Would you gain weight for the part, or have you thought that far ahead? > > WF: I have. Whatever the health issues would be, there’s a part of me that would love to do the De Niro Raging Bull thing. But I hear that actually wrecked his metabolism, and he’s had to battle that ever since he did that. > > O: And you’re a marathon runner. > > WF: Yeah, I’ve been doing that. So I don’t know. I’m hoping that prosthetics will be good enough. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/28 "2003-10-29T22:40:06Z")
Drew Barrymore is playing the stripper, Darlene. I like Cher for Miss Lana, Charlotte Rae for Ms. Trixie, Kelsey Grammer for Levy, Christine Baransky for Mrs. Levy, Lily Tomlin as Santa Bataglia, Joe Pesci as Mancuso, and love either Brenda Blethyn or Carol Burnett for Mrs. Reilly. ---
**Author:** ![GraceTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@GraceTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GraceTX)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/29 "2003-10-29T23:21:11Z")
The [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0340054/combined) confirms that Will Ferrell will play Ignatius. > [@](#): > > Drew Barrymore … Darlene > [Mos Def](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0080049/) … Jones > Olympia Dukakis … Santa Battaglia > Will Ferrell … Ignatius J. Reilly > Lily Tomlin … Mrs. Reilly ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/30 "2003-10-30T00:08:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Grace \* > \*\*The [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0340054/combined) confirms that Will Ferrell will play Ignatius. \*\* Ugh. I guess we should be thankful they didn’t cast Adam Sandler, but still. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/31 "2003-10-30T00:15:24Z")
Will Farrell!?!?!?!??? Damn, that’s just not right. Well, another good project shat on. For the record, my first thought when I saw the OP was Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I think I could have been pretty happy with Stephen Root, Vincent d’Onofrio or even Jack Black. Will Farrell… fuck no! ---
**Author:** ![Jello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@Jello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jello)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/32 "2003-10-30T01:08:13Z")
On the bright side, Mos Def looks like he’ll be good as Jones. I’ve liked his acting from what little I’ve seen of him (Monster’s Ball, The Italian Job). ---
**Author:** ![look\_ninjas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@look\_ninjas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_ninjas)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/33 "2003-10-30T02:16:10Z")
Will Ferrell? Damn. Just damn. I mean, were they thinking? Did they think about it at all? _Damn!_ ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/34 "2003-10-30T15:16:29Z")
Will Farrell? God in heaven forgive “the degenerates who produced this abortion”. On second thought, don’t. [righteously indignant rant]**IGNATIUS IS SUPPOSED TO BE 300 POUNDS! HE’S ALSO SUPPOSED TO BE A GENIUS (TRUE, HE’S A PATHOLOGICALLY LAZY AND DERANGED ONE, BUT A GENIUS NONETHELESS)!!! WILL FARRELL WOULDN’T SEEM SMART IF HE WAS SURROUNDED BY CHICKENS AND HE’S GONNA MUG AT THE CAMERA AND GIVE HIS SAME DUMBASS FARTJOKE QUALITY PERFORMANCE THAT HE GIVES IN EVERYTHING ELSE!!! WHAT THE F_CK? WHAT THE F_CK WHAT THE F\*CK? AAAAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!! WHAT NEXT- THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS JANE PITTMAN II STARRING DREW BARRYMORE AND FANNIE FLAGG?**[/righteously indignant rant] ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/35 "2003-10-30T15:35:58Z")
I like Will Farrell in some things but I just can’t see him as Ignatius. I hope the casting of Farrell is not a signal that they intend to produce a dumbed-down, slapstick version of the story which trades in all the cerebral qualities of the novel for a bunch of fat and fart jokes. Damn. I really wanted it to be PSH. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/36 "2003-10-30T16:09:25Z")
Fannie Flagg is actually not a bad actress, IIRC. Maybe not good enough to convince us she’s black, but even Olivier didn’t manage that. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/37 "2003-10-30T16:42:59Z")
Didn’t even pick the right SNL hack. Horatio Sanz would be decent. Will Ferrell? I’ll stay home and reread the book. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/38 "2003-10-30T16:59:57Z")
Of all the wonderful actors clamoring for this role, why Farrell? It’s as if they’re targeting people who never read the book, or indeed any book at all, ever. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/39 "2003-10-30T18:19:26Z")
Hmm. I always saw Oliver Platt in that role. But Soderbergh is an excellent choice for director. If Will Ferrell does it, I will hunt him down and kill him. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860/40 "2003-10-30T21:29:29Z")
To all the WF bashers, take heart. This movie may never be made. This book has been the project of the damned in Hollywood. You know who was first suggested for the role? John Belushi. John Candy was later proposed for the role. Chris Farley was tapped to play IJR as well. Perhaps Farell should see his doctor soon. There have been numerous scripts written, including one by Stephen Fry. All have come to naught. The book is simply too long and textured to be properly put into movie form. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederacy-of-dunces-is-going-to-be-a-movie/140860.md?page=3)