Charlie Kaufman Signs on to Write IQ 83 Starring Steve Carell
Steve Carell might be receiving Oscar buzz for his dramatic performance in Foxcatcher, but at this point in his career, we still love him most for his comedic roles in hits like The Office and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. With the utmost respect to Carell, we love seeing him play the dimwit.
Charlie Kaufman, on the other hand, is known for writing acclaimed movies filled with complexity, including Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Adaptation, and more.
Put the two together and what do you get? Well, hopefully an awesome film adaption of Arthur Herzog’s 1978 science fiction novel IQ 83.
Deadline reported this week that Kaufman has been signed to do a rewrite of the screenplay that Carell will star in. The premise: Dr. James Healey (Carell) is the leader of a group of scientists who unleash a virus on the world that progressively lowers people’s IQs. According to Deadline, the adaption will be “a scathing satire, on the order of Doctor Strangelove.”
Part Flowers for Algernon, part Get Smart, part Dinner for Schmucks perhaps? The possibilities are endless when Kaufman’s involved. Remember, this is the guy who took Susan Orlean’s book about orchids and made this Meryl Streep scene possible:
