Rob Corddry to star in big-screen comedy

LOS ANGELES, May 15 (UPI) -- Rob Corddry, a popular supporting player in U.S. television and film, reportedly snagged his first lead role in the Ben Stiller-produced comedy "Project A."

Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld are producing the flick through their Red Hour production company.

No director is attached to the project about a guy trained by the U.S. government as a Cold War experiment to be the world's biggest jerk, The Hollywood Reporter said.

"Ben and Stuart gave it to me to read years ago, and it's always been the first thing I ask my agents and managers about," Corddry told the trade paper. "They've always said, 'Go open a movie first!'"

Although he has appeared in "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay," "What Happens in Vegas," "Semi-Pro," "The Heartbreak Kid" and "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," Corddry is perhaps best known for his work as a correspondent for "The Daily Show." He will soon be seen in Oliver Stone's George W. Bush bio-pic "W."

"I'm slowly working my way up the ladder, starting from high school drama class," Corddry told The Hollywood Reporter. "I've never been higher than No. 3 on the call sheet."