Discovery has ordered eight episodes of Airplane Repo, from Craig Piligian (exec. producer of Dirty Jobs). The show follows Nick Popovich as he repossesses jets and helicopters from people behind on their payments.
Each episode shows the team planning the best approach for snatching a plane, then follows the group as they attempt the high-risk acquisition.
“There’s a lot of action, it has an element of danger and a lot of suspense, and there’s always a ticking clock,” Piligian said. “The show goes all over the world — Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Finland — anywhere there’s a plane, whether for an airline that goes bankrupt or some rich guy who hasn’t made his payments.” [The Live Feed]
Danger, suspense, and ticking clocks. The life of a repo man is always intense. I dig that. Hey Popovich, let’s go do some crimes. Yeah. Let’s go get sushi and not pay.
Like many people, I’ve gotten kind of tired of Will Ferrell. It’s not that he isn’t funny, I’m just fatigued from him ALWAYS being silly. Even in interviews, he’s still in character, and the fact that he never seems like a regular human being makes me less likely to go see Land of the Lost (even though I probably will, because c’mon: dinosaurs).
And that’s what made last night’s “Man Vs. Wild” so enjoyable: there were moments of genuine awe and panic from Ferrell. In the clips below, Bear Grylls actually trusts Ferrell with his life as he prepares to dead-man belay down a cliff, and then Ferrell reflects on the entire experience, sounding honestly impressed without pausing to tear off his clothes to reveal a skimpy leprechaun outfit. I admire that restraint.
Will Ferrell will appear in a June episode of “Man Vs. Wild” as part of a synergistic alliance between Discovery and Universal Pictures. The details, from Variety:
In the episode, Ferrell joins Grylls in the far north of Sweden, where they spend 48 hours performing tasks such as rappelling down hundred-foot frozen waterfalls, tandem-abseiling off a helicopter and staying warm overnight in subzero temperatures. The two also find food in the forest, improvise snow shoes and drink their own urine.
“Will did an amazing job in subzero, very unforgiving conditions,” Grylls said. “He trusted me when it mattered, and we survived. … He should be very proud of how he performed.”
Phew! They survived! Those hard-ass producers put the lives of their show’s host and a huge Hollywood star in danger, but Bear Grylls came through when it mattered! Bear should be proud. Take the rest of the day off, bro. Spoil yourself with a nice big slice of elephant crap.