Steel City Productions is in development with Stand Up Guys, a $1.8-million action/comedy feature film about five stand-up comics thwarted in their attempt to rob a bank.

When we left the story, a first draft of the script had been completed. Wesley Snipes’ production company Amen Ray Films had been enlisted to access some American star talent. David Landers (Laverne & Shirley) had signed on for the project and the production/writing team of Kirk Johnson and Michael Cameron were shipping their ‘calling card’ short film through the Ontario Film Development Corporation’s Calling Card Program.

it’s been shades of the quintessential Canadian production experience, these last two months of shopping financing and distribution for Stand Up Guys.

After inspiring meetings with WIC Western International Communications, Paragon Entertainment early in the year, and a chunk of development money from Citytv, TMN-The Movie Network gave the script what producer Kirk Johnson calls ‘the big negatory’ in February.

Ixnay on the request for development money, although the pay network will consider a window on the finished product. In the short term, Johnson is looking to Telefilm Canada to pick up the slack on the development side.

Also adding to the February blahs was the rejection of Steel City’s Gang Cop, a $40,000 15-minute spoof on film noir, by the Ontario Film Development Corporation. The thing about film noir is you either love it or hate it, says Johnson. ‘Evidently the latter in this case.’

Undeterred, Steel City has signed Colin Brunton (Mainline Films) as executive producer on the project. The budget has been pared down to about $20,000, with $15,000 of it already covered by private investors. Among them are Cameron and Johnson, who are parceling their 15-episode cable series Steel City Lingerie for sale to The Comedy Network.

As for Stand Up Guys, Johnson says much hinges on the second draft. A showcase at Second City is in the works for mid-April when the cast will put on a theatrical version of key scenes in the film for prospective licensees. Required to trigger the ctcpf is a licence deal with either wic and tmn or City. The financing structure has Telefilm contributing 25% of the budget.

Finally, a couple of perks at the end of a frustrating month. Bridgett Gall (Twisted Sheets) and Boyd Banks will be joining Landers on the project. Steel City is also in discussions with Jeremy Hotz (The Newsroom), and with Mike Bullard and Derek Edwards for potential cameo appearances.

Almost better than the above, a Gemini Awards chat with the Royal Bank’s Robert Morrice could yield a location. Morrice apparently knows of a vacant bank which, if you’re shooting a film about bank robbers, could be handy. ‘Whichever bank gives me a free bank, I’ll sell my soul to them,’ says Johnson.

Target shoot date for Stand Up Guys is fall 1998.