The ways of Wall Street are skewered in Director Adam McKay’s new comedy-tinged drama, The Big Short.
Based on the 2010 book of the same name by Michael Lewis, McKay’s feature tells the story of how four Wall Street outsiders correctly predicted that the jury-rigged mortgage credit bubble would inevitably burst devastating the world economy although the big banks and governments were oblivious to the coming financial meltdown of 2007.
In a conversation moderated by Director Paul Thomas Anderson (Inherent Vice) following the DGA screening in Los Angeles on November 15, McKay spoke about the challenges of making the world of credit defaults swaps and derivatives accessible and entertaining. McKay also spoke about the film with Director Bob Balaban (Alpha House) following the DGA membership screening in New York on November 18.
In addition to The Big Short, McKay’s work includes the feature films Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Step Brothers, and The Other Guys; and episodes of Saturday Night Live and Eastbound & Down. He has been a member of the DGA since 2000.