“Kung Fu Cops,” the mock trailer starring Ian Taylor, Andrew Blackley and John O’Brien as the titular group, premiered on Wednesday, March 27, 2013, during the 2013 Quiz Bowl. In a very short span of time, the short has not only become an internet sensation but has been bought by Harvey and Bob Weinstein as well. They are most well known for producing Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and every Quentin Tarantino feature since Pulp Fiction.

            “It’s all very exciting,” said Matthew Chauby, who co-wrote and directed the mock trailer. Chauby explained that the idea for the short began with a conversation with Ian Taylor during a physics class all the way back in January. “Truth be told, the title came first,” added Chauby. Ian Taylor, who starred and co-wrote, said, “Matthew came to me with interest to do a Quiz Bowl commercial. Once the brainstorm began, nobody could stop it.” Taylor is said to have uttered “Kung Fu Cops,” silencing both of them and calming the storm. The mock trailer, which is just over four minutes long, took about two weeks to shoot.

            Contrary to his original plans, Chauby will not be attending EmersonCollege in Boston this fall. Instead, he will be committing his time working with Harvey and Bob Weinstein. Chauby, who recently became a legal adult, officially signed the rights to “Kung Fu Cops” to the Weinstein Company for a mere $7,000 on March 31.

Despite the seemingly small amount, the Weinstein Brothers have hired Chauby to write the script with Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Lethal Weapon) signed on to co-write the script. “I have a lot of admiration for Mr. Black,” said Chauby, “I’ve only talked to him once on the phone. He wants to take a realistic approach to the material and have a rough draft for the producers by the end of April.” The working title for the “Kung Fu Cops” script is Shanghai Heat. According to the Weinstein Company, principal photography will take place this summer, which means Chauby and Black will need a shooting script by then.

            Breaking his supposed acting hiatus, Ryan Gosling (Drive) is signed on to play ladies’ man detective Raymond Chang. Confirming his role in the film, Mark Wahlberg (Boogie Nights) tweeted, “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwm2ik5Wo4I Nostalgic mock trailer directed by amateur filmmaker Matthew Chauby. Very excited that Weinsteins are producing this. Just signed on to play Slugger Bolo.” Andrew Blackley, who played Richard Dragon in the original mock trailer, commented, “In a perfect world, Jesse Eisenberg would play Master Dragon.” Despite the popularity of Eisenberg (The Social Network), the script implies the character should be an Asian man in his forties. Regarding the role of the infamous Boss Kurosawa, Chauby said, “I can’t confirm anything, but Mr. and Mr. Weinstein have showed Daniel Day-Lewis [There Will Be Blood] the script. Let’s just say he was seen buying a plane ticket to Tokyo. He could be going on vacation, or possibly getting prepared for his next role.” The Weinstein Company is in talks with a slew of notable figures, attempting one of the strongest ensemble casts in recent years that my include the likes of Russel Crowe (Gladiator), Ben Affleck (Argo), Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds) and Steve Buscemi (Reservoir Dogs).

            Although Chauby would be delighted to direct the feature film, it is not going to happen. “I’m just an eighteen year-old kid who happened to produce a short that was very entertaining. I’ve never worked on an actual film. You can’t give an amateur, like myself, that much power.” Quentin Tarantino, who has collaborated with the Weinsteins on numerous films, has seen a working draft and admires it. However, the last film he directed that was not based off of his own work was his 1997 film, Jackie Brown. Oliver Stone (Platoon, Natural Born Killers) has been offered the job as well but has stated, “the script isn’t controversial, or even political, enough for my tastes.” Thus far, the front runner for the directing job is Robert Rodriguez (Sin City, Planet Terror), reportedly having adored the story. Rodriguez started out as independent as they come, producing El Mariachi for a coincidental $7,000.