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CBS is betting big on the Horrible Bosses brand of comedy.
The network has made a hefty put pilot commitment for Punching Out, a half-hour project from Bosses screenwriters John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. The comedy centers on 30-something guys who hate their jobs and make a pact to go back to when they were happiest: working at the mall. It’s said to be in the vein of Bosses, which garnered an impressive $118 million at the domestic box office in 2011.
PHOTOS: ‘Horrible Bosses’ Premiere Red Carpet: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman
Daley and Goldstein will write and executive produce the single-camera comedy, which found itself at the center of a fierce bidding war involving multiple networks. It’s set up at 20th Century Fox TV, with Chernin Co.’s Peter Chernin and his TV chief Katherine Pope on board as executive producers.
For Daley, known for his onscreen work in such series as Freaks and Geeks and Bones, this marks a continued push behind the camera. He will remain on Bones, where he’s played Dr. Lance Sweets for several seasons.
He and Goldstein have fast become one of the hottest writing teams in Hollywood, with feature credits such as The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and Sony Animation’s upcoming feature Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2. They were tapped to reboot and direct the Chevy Chase National Lampoon’s Vacation franchise and to adapt Of All the Things with Steve Carell attached to star. They have penned a forthcoming Bosses sequel too.
News of Punching Out comes as fellow Judd Apatow alumnus Jay Baruchel (Undeclared) has set up a semi-autobiographical comedy at ABC. Other Apatow grads to find success both in front of and behind the camera include Jason Segel (The Muppets) and Seth Rogen, with whom Baruchel produced and starred in This Is the End.
Daley and Goldstein are repped by UTA and Hansen Jacobson.
E-mail: Lacey.Rose@THR.com
Twitter: @LaceyVRose
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