See Michael Ian Black Run

by Alexis Buryk | Published September 23, 2007

He’s got three names and more comedic energy than seems humanly possible. Michael Ian Black has become a ubiquitous commentator on popular culture with his stints on VH1’s “I Love the...” series and “Best Week Ever,” and an increasingly prolific writer with such shows as Comedy Central’s “The State” and “Stella” to his credit. He studied at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, but like many of its famous students, left to pursue his career prior to graduation. He often partners with fellow funnymen Michael Showalter and David Wain, with whom he teamed up for films such as The Ten and new cult classic Wet Hot American Summer.

Black’s script for the upcoming comedy Run, Fatboy, Run fell into the hands of actor-director David Schwimmer, who took to the material immediately. “I’d read so, so many scripts,” says Schwimmer, “but this was the first one which made me laugh out loud all the way through and which genuinely moved me.” The film was set in New York but switched to London when it found support from Material Entertainment, a recently-created venture formed by New Line Cinema and Entertainment Film Distributors. Shaun of the Dead star Simon Pegg plays the main character, an exceedingly ordinary and out-of-shape man who is determined to win back his love interest by competing against her current love interest in a marathon. The talents of Schwimmer and Pegg are sure to bring Black’s quirky sense of humor to life and offer audiences a solid laugh for their buck.