EXCLUSIVE: Marc Maron, the actor and comedian behind hit podcast WTF, is set to produce and star in In Memoriam, a new comedy that five-time Emmy winner Rob Burnett (The Fundamentals of Caring) wrote and will direct for Invention Studios (Thelma).
Shooting in Los Angeles beginning October 14, the film follows a veteran Hollywood actor (Maron) who, after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis, becomes obsessed with securing a spot in the Academy Awards’ “In Memoriam” montage. This leads to a heartfelt exploration of ego, humility, and legacy.
Invention’s Nicholas Weinstock and Divya D’Souza will produce alongside Maron, as well as Burnett and David Martin from Avalon.
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With his long-running podcast WTF with Marc Maron, Maron brings in over 80 million downloads per year. On the acting front, he’s best known for his Critics’ Choice and SAG Award-nominated turn on Netflix’s wrestling dramedy GLOW. Most recently appearing in Michael Morris’ To Leslie and DreamWorks/Universal’s The Bad Guys, he earned a WGA Award nomination earlier this year for his latest stand-up special, HBO’s From Bleak to Dark. Currently touring the country with his latest stand-up show All In, he’ll next be seen in Apple TV+’s untitled golf comedy series, opposite Owen Wilson, as well as Justin Kurzel’s acclaimed crime thriller The Order, which is coming off of its premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
Widely known for his years as head writer and exec producer of Late Show with David Letterman, and as the former president of Letterman’s production company Worldwide Pants, Burnett last directed The Fundamentals of Caring, a dramedy starring Paul Rudd, Craig Roberts, and Selena Gomez, which Netflix snapped up following its premiere at Sundance. He also teamed with Jon Beckerman to create the critically acclaimed NBC comedy series Ed, which earned a People’s Choice Award and an Emmy nomination for writing.
Weinstock and Invention most recently produced Thelma, Josh Margolin’s octogenarian action comedy starring Oscar nominee June Squibb, which premiered at Sundance and was released by Magnolia Pictures in June, grossing over $10 million worldwide. Currently, the indie production company is also working on film and TV projects with Paramount, Amazon, FX, CBS, Fifth Season, Fremantle, Village Roadshow, Wildside and Gaumont in Italy, Square One in Germany, Mediawan in France, FilmOne in Nigeria and more.
Maron is represented by Independent Artists Group, Avalon, and Brecheen Feldman Breimer; Burnett by UTA and Kaplan/Perrone. Invention Studios and Weinstock are repped by CAA, as well as Aron Baumel and Will Jacobson of Goodman, Genow, Schenkman.