It was previously announced that Will Ferrell and director Fred Dobkin (Wedding Crashers, Fred Claus) were due to start filming the new comedy Neighbourhood Watch next spring for 20th Century Fox. However both helmer and star have now left the project.
There’s been no news on exactly why the duo have departed, as both were still fully committed until very recently, with Dobkin submitting revisions to Jared Stern’s script to the studio only a couple of weeks ago. The film itself is due to follow a city dweller’s experience of moving to suburbia, where he uncovers a massive conspiracy when he joins the local neighbouthood watch group.
It’s difficult to know what this means for the movie, as having both the director and star leave is a massive blow for the film, and the producers will have to go back to square one, as Ferrell is one of the few comedy performers whose name can pretty much guarantee a film will get greenlit. However if they can find somebody else good fill his shoes, Neighbourhood Watch may well still go ahead.