Larry Charles Should be More than Content with Winter’s Discontent

He has stripped away his beard and with no more wingmen or creative influences (Bob Dylan, Bill Maher and Sacha Baron Cohen) in the way, Larry Charles will have a chance to spread his wings. Columbia Pictures have set the director on an About Schmidt-like project that hopefully will avoid bringing up butt-end jokes about the powerful blue pill.

With Winter’s Discontent, Charles takes on a top-rated Blacklist project (7th vote getter from 2008’s list) that centers on Herb Winter, whose wife dies after 50 years of marriage, prompting the long-faithful but sexually frustrated widower to move into a retirement community with his best buddy so the two can start living the swinging single life. I wonder what the shortlist is for the lead male roles?