Masterminds is based on the events surrounding the Loomis Fargo Robbery which occurred in the late ’90s in North Carolina. The director, Jared Hess, focuses on the more humorous aspects of the heist, choosing to see it partly as a love story and partly as a saga of ambitious, misguided people doing crazy things. The upcoming movie stars – Owen Wilson, Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig and Jason Sudeikis are actors known for their comfort with screw ball comedies.
Written by Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer and Emily Spivey, the film is produced by John Goldwyn, Andrew Panay and Saturday Night Live boss, Lorne Michaels. In 2013, Jim Carrey signed on to play the role of David Scott Ghantt but dropped out at the end of the year. He was replaced by Galifianakis. Filming commenced on July 7, 2014 in Hazelwood, North Carolina under the name “Untitled Armored Car”. The film was previously scheduled to release on August 19, 2015, which the producers then pushed back to October 9, 2015. However, the film has now been pulled from the October 9 release date too, due to continuing financial issues.
The director – Hess, who gave us Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, returns to his comfort zone as he turns a true crime story into a farcical saga. He takes a more sympathetic look at Galifianakis’ character, David Ghantt, an armoured car driver who drove off with $17.3 million, painting him as an uncomplicated, average Joe with an ordinary job who falls for a woman, played by Wiig, who involves him in the robbery plot. What follows is all the more ludicrous for being real- involving fast cars, mansions, Mexican escapes, a crazy hit man and double crosses. Wiig and Wilson play the schemers behind the job while Sudeikis takes on the character of the clichéd killer for hire, playing the role with a kind of corny humour.
While Masterminds has not released yet, expectations are high from Jared Hess and his ensemble of fantastic comic actors. The incredible story line alone promises to be entertaining. Fans of Galifianakis will look forward to his portrayal of an ordinary guy caught up in extraordinary circumstances, while Wiig and Wilson as rookie criminals with an absurd and flawed heist plot, are devious yet likeable. Though audiences are excited to watch the movie, the producers have made no announcements for a new release date.