It’s a simple truism of comedy that dicks are pretty funny. Whether flaccid or raging, they’ve been a source of cinematic gold (and trash) for years now, and have been a key part of comedy since Shakespeare had a beggar crack a pun about his rager in The Taming of the Shrew. Last year, Sausage Party took the dick joke to one of its most logical extremes by constructing a feature-length animated film around the concept. Just this past weekend, Tour de Pharmacy constructed a gag out of a cyclist dying in mid-ride, his penis still hanging out of his shorts. The possibilities are endless.
Even Netflix is getting in on the fun, it would appear, with a comedy feature currently titled The Eggplant Emoji. But don’t worry, this isn’t a hard-R take on The Emoji Movie, even if we’re virtually certain that such a thing is being discussed in some pitch meeting somewhere. Probably at this very moment. Jake Szymanski, the Funny or Die alum who helmed Tour de Pharmacy and 2015’s 7 Days in Hell, has signed on to direct the project, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Szymanski has proven himself adept at the execution of a great absurdist gag; some of the best stuff in last year’s Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, his feature-length debut, emerged from Szymanski’s willingness to push a seemingly tired gag to ridiculous lengths. The Eggplant Emoji will further test those boundaries, especially with this kind of a logline: “When a teenager accidentally cuts off his penis during a camping trip, he and his friends rush to save the appendage before it’s too late.” We can only hope that the film will leave audiences engorged with laughter.
Kevin Burrows and Matt Mider, creators of digital animated series Gentlemen Lobsters, penned the script for The Eggplan Emoji, with Ben Stiller, Nicky Weinstock, and Workaholics creators Blake Anderson, Adam Devine, Anders Holm and Kyle Newacheck all serving as producers.
