Vartan and Cross clash in workplace comedy "Demoted"

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Michael Vartan and David Cross will play bitter tire store rivals in the comedy "Demoted."

Vartan will play Rodney McAdams, a hotshot Treadline Tires sales associate who delights in tormenting his less-than-cool colleague, Ken (Cross). But when their boss suddenly dies, Ken is promoted and assigns Rodney to a secretarial job as payback, giving the male chauvinist a taste of his own medicine.

J.B. Rogers ("American Pie 2") will direct from a screenplay by Dan Callahan. The feature is a production of Parallel Media's new genre arm, Parallel Zide.

Vartan ("One Hour Photo," "Alias") next stars opposite Dermot Mulroney in director Dan Ireland's drama "Jolene: My Life." Cross, whose credits include "The Colbert Report," "Freak Show" and "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," can next be seen in Harold Ramis' adventure comedy "Year One."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter