Joel McHale to portray Chevy Chase in Netflix's 'National Lampoon' biopic

LOS ANGELES, April 6 (UPI) -- Joel McHale is set to portray his former Community co-star Chevy Chase in an upcoming Netflix biopic about the creation of comedy brand National Lampoon.

The film entitled A Futile and Stupid Gesture, is based on the 2006 nonfiction book of the same name and tells the tragic story of National Lampoon cofounder Doug Kenney, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Kenney was famous for creating the National Lampoon, a humor magazine, along with Henry Beard that later turned into a lucrative film brand. Kenney tragically died in 1980 under mysterious circumstances, falling off a cliff in Hawaii. Chase and Kenney were close friends who worked on the 1980 comedy hit Caddyshack together.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the biopic is set to be directed by Wet Hot American Summer helmer David Wain and will also star Will Forte as Beard. Production is set to begin this April.

McHale is familiar with Chase having starred alongside the comedian for five seasons of NBC's cancelled comedy Community. McHale has recently appeared in Fox's X-Files revival and will next be seen in the CBS pilot, The Great Indoors.