Adventure brother: Will Ferrell joins Bear Grylls on "Man vs. Wild."
You’re welcome, America.
In a move that makes perfect sense in terms of corporate synergy but sounds absolutely ludicrous to the average person, Will Ferrell is joining Bear Grylls on an upcoming “Man vs. Wild” special.
During the episode, which is set to air in early June on the Discovery Channel, Ferrell spends 48 hours frolicking with Grylls in the icy glacier ranges of northern Sweden. The pair will rappel down hundred foot frozen waterfalls and sleep in sub-zero temperatures. Urine will be gulped and reindeer eyeballs shall be chomped. Yes. That’s going to happen.
The Discovery Channel press release even attributed the following quote to Ferrell: “To be able to participate in an episode of ‘Man vs. Wild’ was the thrill of a lifetime, even though I did get urine-drunk, which is sad.”
To ask why Ferrell, recently revealed by Parade magazine to have earned $31 million in 2008, would do such things is a perfectly valid question. Thanks to Discovery, we have the answer.
Can Ferrell keep up with Bear Grylls?
Ferrell’s latest movie “Land of the Lost” hits theaters on June 5. It’s a Universal Pictures movie, and Universal has a deal with Discovery Channel to create programming that ties into its film releases. A recent “Cash Cab” episode was tied to “Frost/Nixon,” and last summer’s “Wanted” joined forces with “FutureWeapons.” The hope is that the indelible memory of Ferrell ingesting horrible things will make you say, “Now that we know what that ‘Step Brothers’ guy is capable of, let’s round up the kids, head to the multiplex, and watch him survive in an undiscovered country filled with dinosaurs and monkey people. And hey — order popcorn with extra butter stuff. Mmm, mmm!”
Discovery is calling this episode “the most fully integrated to date” in its partnership with Universal, but methinks Ferrell got the short end of the stick here. There’s a huge difference between roughing it with a craft services table nearby and, well, that business mentioned above.
Are we going to watch? You bet.
