After a rough night drinking the 'no new Empire Online blues' away, it's always nice to wake up to good news, no matter how difficult it is to read. How glad we are then, to discover that Jon Heder has signed on for another lead role; he'll be taking the title performance in the forthcoming comedy Mama's Boy.
The story centres around an arrogant little so-and-so who, as the title would suggest, lives with his mum. It's his idea of a perfect situation, so when she meets and falls in love with a self help guru, he naturally feels his utopic existence is under threat. When she prepares to marry him, the alarm bells really start ringing.
In case you'd forgotten, or are feeling as delicate as some of the Empire staff this morning and are unable to complete a single coherent thought, Heder is the star of last year's indie hit Napoleon Dynamite. He hasn't rested on his laurels since, and is due to return to screen as a support player in Just Like Heaven, and The Benchwarmers. He's also starring in the remake of School For Scoundrels with Billy Bob Thornton.
Mama's Boy has been written by Hank Nelken (who was responsible for penning Saving Silverman a few years back), and will be directed by Tim Hamilton. It's Hamilton's first feature in the director's chair, after his commercial and short film work caught the eye of the producers.
The team and studio (Warner Independent Pictures) are looking to have the film in cinemas in the US by February 2006, and doubtless the UK will follow soon after.