Adam McKay Back at Netflix to Direct Average Height, Average Build

For the millions upon millions of viewers who tuned in to watch Netflix’s earth-shattering (in every sense) dark comedy political satire film Don’t Look Up (2021), and have been anxious to see what is come next from acclaimed director Adam McKay, the ball has now dropped. Per an exclusive report from Deadline, his next big project, which will see him return once more to Netflix, will be yet another epic satire comedy film called Average Height, Average Build.

Related: Adam McKay Addresses Don’t Look Up Criticism: ‘You’re Never Going to Appeal to Everyone’

Average Height, Average Build is the latest project from Adam McKay that will reunite him with Netflix for the first time since his award-winning and internet-breaking film Don’t Look Up became the second most watched feature on the streaming platform with nearly 360 million hours in the first 28 days. It also became #1 in 92 countries with an avalanche of nominations and award wins. Also, just like the overwhelmingly star-studded cast of the first film, this one will include an array of award-winning actors such as Robert Pattinson (The Batman), Amy Adams (Disenchanted), Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer), Forest Whitaker (Big George Foreman), and Danielle Deadwyler (The Harder They Fall). McKay approached Netflix about the project not long after the Oscars, having decided that the incredible success of his last feature with them made it the appropriate home for his next satirical endeavor.

With its A-list cast in place, Average Height, Average Build will promise another ingenious mesh of dark comedy and political corruption that is all but undeniably relatable in our world at present. The premise of the film will revolve around a serial killer (Pattinson), who enlists the help of a renowned lobbyist (Adams) to amend laws that would allow him to get away with actual murder more easily. Meanwhile, a retired cop (Downey Jr) has been relentlessly chasing leads on the killer’s murder spree, and the killer himself tries to throw him off the trail, knowing retirement makes him less of a threat. The killer winds up creating himself a disguise by becoming a so-called “cause celebre”, preaching falsified philanthropy while obscuring his true motives. There are no details yet on the rest of the cast and their characters.

McKay’s Resume of Comedy and Satire

McKay has a robust comedy filmography that goes all the way back to his six-year breakout stint on NBC’s Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2001. Befriending actor Will Ferrell on the show, the two went on to produce a number of iconic comedy blockbusters together, including Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) and its sequel, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), Step Brothers (2008), The Other Guys (2010), The Campaign (2012), and Get Hard (2015). His first real foray into corruption satire was the biographical crime drama comedy film The Big Short (2015), which he wrote and directed. It was based on the 2010 book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, which revealed how the 2008 financial crisis was triggered by the US housing market bubble.

Average Height, Average Build currently has no release date, but it will premiere exclusively on Netflix. Given the gravitas of this project and its director, more details will likely follow very soon.