Don’t Look Up director Adam McKay has spoken about a superhero project pitch that the late Matthew Perry gave him.
A piece from The Hollywood Reporter went into detail about how Perry‘s final post to social media included the phrase, “I’m Mattman.” Not only was the late actor a big fan of the iconic DC hero Batman, but he also envisioned a somewhat autobiographical superhero project — which could have either been a movie or a series — similarly titled Mattman.
After he was brought on to McKay’s 2021 film Don’t Look Up, Perry apparently brought his Mattman idea to the filmmaker. The pitch was about a man named Matt who was “very famous and about 50 years old,” who would have been played by Perry himself. The character’s life was described by Perry as “a little bit of a mess,” but after he’s left $2 billion by a dead relative, Matt decides to use the inheritance to become a superhero. The outlet notes that McKay saw this pitch as reflective of Perry’s mind and personal experience.
“Any movie idea is kind of like someone telling you their dream,” the director stated. “And there’s kind of obviously a meaning behind it. And when I heard that idea, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s interesting that that’s the idea that he wants to do.'”
McKay countered this idea with a fictional autobiographical project based on Perry that would have been more grounded and without the superhero elements, but the actor was not interested.
Was Matthew Perry in Don’t Look Up?
Though one scene involving Matthew Perry was filmed for Don’t Look Up, the scene and character he played ended up being cut from the movie. The film, which starred Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio, ended up being nominated for several awards, including four Oscars.
