An ‘Office’ director blooms into film
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
EXCLUSIVE: It’s rare for a seasoned television director to make the leap into feature film. But there’s nothing ordinary about the story of “Late Bloomer,” the tale of a man who only begins hitting puberty as an adult.
Randall Einhorn, a veteran TV director who has done some heady work on shows such as “The Office,” “Modern Family” and “Parks and Recreation,” is making just such a leap. Einhorn has been hired by Alcon Entertainment to direct “Late Bloomer,” a dramatization of the real-life story and memoir of Hollywood journalist Ken Baker.
Baker’s tome, “Man Made,” is about a rare condition that caused him not to go through the normal paces of puberty as a teenager; in fact, as his body produced a female hormone, he had many female characteristics, including lactaction. At age 27, he had surgery that finally corrected the problem and brought on the onset of puberty (not to mention numerous female conquests).
Although the book has the hallmarks of a drama (sometimes outlandishly so), the script, from Joe Nussbaum with a rewrite by Paul Kaplan and Mark Torgrove (“Just Shoot Me!,” Spin City,” a “Marvin the Martian” movie), will play up comedic elements too. Think “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” only here the stunted adolescence is developmental.
Alcon, which produced the 2009 hit “The Blind Side,” is committed to making the film, with Warner Bros., per their agreement with the company, scheduled to release the movie next August.
As for Einhorn, he joins the ranks of a rare group. Originally a cinematographer who helped create the look of the American “Office,” the 46-year-old segued into directing television shows (he also counts shows as diverse as “Survivor” -- for which he has been nominated for Emmys -- and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” among his credits).
Einhorn is swimming against the current -- television series now frequently hire feature directors, but it’s unusual for a director go the other way (“He’s Just Not That Into You” director Ken Kwapis is one of the few to do it). But then, it’s never too late to bloom. Just ask the protagonist of Einhorn’s new film.
--Steven Zeitchik
Clicking on Green Links will take you to a third-party e-commerce site. These sites are not operated by the Los Angeles Times. The Times Editorial staff is not involved in any way with Green Links or with these third-party sites.
