Josh Gad is going to play Sam Kinison in a movie
The life of the comedian Sam Kinison—a Pentecostal preacher who became one of the hottest and most controversial performers of the 1980s by tapping into his shrieking id, almost destroyed his career with his excessive drinking and drug use, and who then cleaned up his act, only to be killed in a head-on car collision with a drunk driver—has always seemed ripe biopic material. For years, various filmmakers and actors (notably Dan Fogler) have tried to get a movie based on Kinison’s life lined up. Now Deadline is reporting that the latest attempt will star Josh Gad, best known for his Tony-nominated performance in The Book Of Mormon, who will show off his screaming range in the title role of Kinison. Gad, who also plays Steve Wozniak in the forthcoming Jobs, will star in the title role of the film whose screenplay was adapted by Rich Wilkes, from a book by the comedian’s brother, Bill Kinison.