Back in the "Easy Rider" heyday of the Harley, hitting the road on a motorcycle, destination unknown, was considered the ultimate outlaw act of freedom, rebellion and "cool." Today, however, the average motorcycle rider provides a rather different picture- because the average motorcycle rider is a suburban male on a weekend cruise around town! These are the so-called "weekend warriors," who jump on their "hogs" at the end of the workweek, hoping to find even a flash of that free spirit that still burns beneath their everyday roles as daddies, bosses and breadwinners.

But what would happen if a group of suburbanites actually fired up their growling engines, donned their leathers, straddled the gleaming chrome and truly tried to hit the open road- ready for whatever outrageous situations that might come their way?

It was this question, with all its comedic potential, that inspired writer Brad Copeland to come up with the concept for WILD HOGS. Copeland has become known as one of television's hottest comedy minds, serving as a writer on two of the funniest and most acclaimed shows in recent years-the Emmy®- and Golden Globe®winning dysfunctional family show "Arrested Development" and the Emmy®-winning "My Name Is Earl," the comedy hit about a petty crook trying to make amends for all his wrongdoings, one by one.

The story of WILD HOGS was sparked when Copeland became fascinated by the new subculture of guys who wear suits and work in offices during the week, only to transform into leather-bound Harley riders on the weekend. "I thought, why isn't anyone making a movie about all these suburban biker guys?" says Copeland. "I became intrigued by these guys who lead the usual 9-to-5 businessman's existence, but then they have this whole other life where they try to leave that behind and go out into the great outdoors to ride. It felt like a sweet set-up for a very fun adventure."

As he began to write, Copeland developed four foible-filled yet uniquely relatable suburban characters from Cincinnati-who share in common only a feeling of being stuck and a Harley hobby: Doug (ALLEN), a dentist with such an inferiority complex, he always introduces himself as a doctor; Woody (TRAVOLTA), the group's seeming "golden boy," a wealthy, charismatic businessman who looks like one of life's big winners-but whose secret troubles are about to catch up with him; Bobby (LAWRENCE) a hen-pecked husband and plumber-on-hiatus who just took a year off to try, unsuccessfully, to become a writer; and Dudley (MACY), a computer-geek bachelor with a knack for always finding himself in embarrassing situations.

Copeland explains: "The idea is that these guys are all kind of living their own version of the white-collar, suburban life, except that on Sundays, they put on their leathers and head to the Harley-Davidson hang-out, where they feel kind of like poseurs. And then one day, they look at each other and say, `Why don't we truly do this and take a real road trip?'"

The idea soon led to all kinds of hilarious and hair-raising situations and also revelations for the characters. For Copeland, it was the notion that one can still have a mind-blowing, perspective-altering adventure, even in the middle of middle-class suburbia, that makes the story of WILD HOGS so compelling.

He explains: "I think it comes down to the fact that nobody wants to feel too safe in life. These guys love their jobs, love their wives, love their children, but they also feel like maybe they need something else to tap into that cut-loose craziness, go wild and live on the edge, even for just a few days. They just want to see how that would feel- but they have no idea where this journey is going to take them, either on the map or emotionally."

The laughs and thrills of Doug, Woody, Bobby and Dudley's journey quickly attracted producers Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin of Tollin/Robbins Productions to the screenplay. Tollin and Robbins have produced a dozen films together, including the recent #1 box-office hit "Coach Carter." When they read WILD HOGS, they knew they had found not only a great vehicle for an ensemble of great comic stars but a joyful experience for moviegoers.

"This was an opportunity to make a movie that is fun with a capital F," says Tollin. "We've made a lot of dramas, we've made a number of movies with a sports backdrop and movies that are specifically for a family audience. Of all the movies we've made, though, WILD HOGS probably has the broadest appeal."

He continues: "The story is hilarious with an enormous amount of heart, and it speaks to universal themes. On one level, it's a midlife crisis story, and on another, it's a male-bonding movie. It's four grown men discussing things in honest, intimate ways, which doesn't happen as much as it should in the real world. But most of all, it's just plain funny."

With the screenplay as their calling card, Robbins and Tollin began almost immediately to search for a director. The bill they were trying to fill was a bit unusual: someone with both the chops for comedy...and a personal knowledge of choppers. They found exactly that combo in Walt Becker, who made his debut with the runaway hit "National Lampoon's Van Wilder," an outrageous campus comedy that updated the raucous "Animal House" tradition. Becker also came with an intriguing background: he financed his entire college education by buying and selling Harleys.

"Walt Becker was not only coming off the wildly funny `Van Wilder,' he had also spent most of his life with motorcycles and brought a fresh, youthful perspective," says Tollin.

Given his background, Becker wanted to hit the gas the minute he read the script for WILD HOGS. "The second I finished it, I was in," he recalls. "It was a story that was not only very funny but hit very close to home."

In an amazing coincidence, Becker's own father, also a lifelong Harley aficionado, had taken a trip quite similar to the one Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William

H. Macy would soon find their characters on. "He was going through a bit of a midlife crisis, so he and some friends flew from Los Angeles to Wisconsin, bought new Harleys and rode them across the country for two weeks," Becker explains. "He was a Baptist minister and now he had a pierced ear and a skull bandana! Basically, it was the same journey as our four characters in WILD HOGS go on. So this was one of those scripts where you just know that you're supposed to do it because you've lived it."

Becker also admits to another reason for taking on WILD HOGS. "What better way to confront my own mini midlife crisis than to take on an ambitious comedy adventure with a cast of great actors and hundreds of motorcycles," he laughs.

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NEXT
SADDLING UP THE HOGS:
CASTING ALLEN, TRAVOLTA, LAWRENCE AND MACY
WILD HOGS would ultimately attract a cast made up of four remarkably diverse yet distinctly compelling Hollywood stars: the popular comedian Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, and William H. Macy..