Macon Blair’s road comedy Idiots has reached cinemas after a 13-year development process marked by recastings, failed financing and a late title change. The film’s eventual completion matters because it reflects Blair’s persistence through repeated setbacks and brought together a cast that he now believes better suits the story.

Originally written in 2013 as The Shitheads, the film follows two ageing slackers hired to take a billionaire’s troubled teenage son to rehabilitation. Earlier versions involved Luke Wilson, Tracy Morgan and Ron Funches, but funding collapsed around 2018; Dave Franco revived the project in 2024, later starring alongside O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Mason Thames. Filming began in autumn 2025, it premiered at Sundance in January 2026, secured IFC distribution the following month and opened theatrically on 28 August.