MTV is planning to make a movie out of a viral video. Sort of. According to Variety they’ve hired Mike O'Connell and Ken Jeong to star in an upcoming MTV films comedy. O’Connell and Jeong are also the stars of a popular viral video group called Million Dollar Strong. Jeong and O’Connell most notably appear together in a Million Dollar Strong rap parody called “What’s it Gonna Be?” on Will Ferrell’s popular Funny Or Die comedy video site, so MTV seems to be pushing this as if they’re making mainstream names out of everyday Joes who through some video up on You Tube. Well don’t believe it.
Ken Jeong is already something of a name in comedy, and in fact he had a big part in Knocked Up this summer where he played the couple’s control freak delivery doctor. The movie they’re making for MTV is being directed by Todd Phillips, who is a part of the whole Frat Pack thing which Will Ferrell (owner of the site where their videos debut) and Judd Apatow (who directed Knocked Up) are chief members of. What I’m saying here is that these guys are already a part of the Frat Pack gang, and now they’re getting starring roles in a Frat Pack movie. The fact that they have a semi-popular viral video floating around out there probably has very little to do with any of it, but if MTV sells it as if they’re making stars out of nobodies they’re hoping all you You Tube nerds will instantly support it in the hopes that you’ll be next. Well unless you’ve been in a movie with Seth Rogen, forget it.
The MTV comedy they’re doing will be based in part on their “What’s it Gonna Be?” parody music video. It’s about the meteoric rise of a delusional rapper and his Asian sidekick. Meanwhile, the video isn’t even very original. It’s a direct ripoff of everything you’ve already seen on the HBO series Flight of the Conchords, which is in turn borrowing pretty heavily from the early work of Tenacious D. Check it out below to see for yourself:
