Charlie Day has certainly made a name for himself with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Horrible Bosses, and a slate of other projects, but he now adds a new title to his resume – director. Ahead of its release, Vanity Fair has provided a first look at Day‘s upcoming directorial debut,Fool’s Paradise.

The film, which seemingly pokes fun at the Hollywood lifestyle, stars Day as a man who was recently released from a mental health facility and is stagnating in life. However, he then runs into a struggling publicist, played by Ken Jeong, who notices that Day’s character resembles a high-profile method actor who refuses to leave his trailer, and realizes that this may be the big break he is looking for. A still from the film provided by Vanity Fair shows Day and Jeong together, with Jeong‘s character looking mightily happy to have found Day, who is dressed in a tux and looks Hollywood-ready.

As the film goes on, Jeong and Day cross paths with more of Fool’s Paradise’s large ensemble cast, which includes Kate Beckinsale, Adrien Brody, Common, Jason Sudeikis, Edie Falco, John Malkovich, and the late Ray Liotta in one of his last roles. Additional photos show Day and Brody on what appear to be a Western-type film set, along with an angry looking Liotta grabbing Day by the throat and Day sitting in an office, appearing none-too-happy. While the details of these characters have not all been fleshed out, Vanity Fair noted that the ensemble will portray “eccentric costars, a pushy producer, a demanding director, and a fallen action hero.”

Day previously told Collider that his wife Mary Elizabeth Ellis, who co-starred alongside Day in It’s Always Sunny and also has a role in the project, should have a producer credit on Fool’s Paradise. “Every decision, I would constantly be like, ‘What do you think about this? What do you think about that?’ for many, many years in the making of [Fool’s Paradise]. So, yeah, she’s been a good partner in that regard,” Day said.

Day has crafted a high-profile career

While Day had bit parts on shows like Reno 911! and Law and Order, it was his role on It’s Always Sunny that propelled him to stardom. Day played Charlie Kelly, the excitable, alcoholic co-owner of Paddy’s Irish Pub, for all 15 seasons of the show, and was also a co-creator, executive producer, and writer. The show – and Day‘s performance – endeared him to fans, and It’s Always Sunny continues to be one of the most highly praised comedies of all time.

Day continued flexing his comedic chops with roles in Horrible Bosses and its sequel. He is also known for starring turns in films like The Lego Movie, The Lego Movie 2, and the Pacific Rim franchise. Currently, he can be heard as the voice of Luigi in Universal‘s highly lauded The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which has already broken several box office records.

Fool’s Paradise was directed by Day off a screenplay that he wrote. The film was produced by Christopher Lemole, Andrew Levitas, John Rickard, Tim Zajaros, and Alex Saks. Executive producers include Kirk Michael Fellows, Manu Gargi, Dan Fellman, and Rob Gough. Fool’s Paradise will be released by Roadside Attractions on May 12, 2023. The new images from the film can be seen below:

via Collider