We like our weird in Portland. It’s true. We’re so weird, in fact, that we stole our “Keep Portland Weird” slogan from Austin, Texas. That’s how weird we are. So when a guy decides to sell shares in himself and allow shareholders to decide his fate, we’re like “Yeah. That happened.” But when Jason Bateman enters the picture, we have to take pause. Because, yeah. Shit just got weird.
Fox Searchlight has acquired Meet The Man Who Sold His Fate To Investors At $1 A Share, a Wired Magazine article by Joshua Davis that will be crafted into a starring and directing vehicle for Jason Bateman to play a man who found a novel commodity for a public offering: himself. It created a host of problems for the actual guy, Mike Merrill, when shareholders demanded control over life decisions like whether or not to have a vasectomy, or even whether he should move in with his longtime girlfriend (and minority shareholder).
Jason Bateman! I mean, he used to be on Silver Spoons. Hell, he was like the Alfonso Ribeiro to Ricky Schroeder’s Fresh Prince.
What’s that? Arrested Development…? Never heard of it. Silver Spoons, baby!
Anyway, yeah KmikeyM isn’t just a Portland property anymore. Hollywood has a little piece of him, as well.
For more information, see Jason Bateman Is ‘IPO Man;’ He’ll Direct, Star As Man Who Sold Stock In Self.
(Image courtesy Sam Javanrouh. Used under Creative Commons.)