Judd Apatow To Direct Film Vehicle For Pete Davidson

Judd Apatow has set his next feature film, an untitled comedy that will star Saturday Night Live castmember Pete Davidson. It will reflect a storyline that mirrors the comic’s own life, including his firefighter father on 9/11. It’s Apatow’s first film since Trainwreck, a vehicle crafted for Amy Schumer.

Davidson has a lot of potential, and even more baggage. A whirlwind romance with Ariana Grande led to a high profile engagement and an equally high profile breakup. Davidson separately drew the ire of conservatives when he poked fun at the eyepatch of former SEAL turned Republican congressman Dan Crenshaw, who lost his eye in an explosion in Afghanistan. Davidson subsequently sent out a tweet that indicated he might be considering harming himself.

All in all it has been a rocky year for a talented young man, whose appearances on Weekend Update have largely been standout good. Being able to turn his energy into a comedy by Apatow, who helped make stars of Steve Carell, Schumer and many others, will be an important next step for Davidson, who wrote the script with Apatow and Dave Sirus.

Davidson appears in Big Time Adolescence, which premiered yesterday at Sundance.

Apatow and Barry Mendel will produce. Universal Executive Vice President of Production Erik Baiers will oversee production on behalf of the studio. Davidson is repped by Brillstein Entertainment Partners and ICM, Apatow is repped by Mosaic and UTA.