The Peep Show writer Jesse Armstrong has been hired to write a new film for Will Ferrell and John C Reilly, titled Border Guards, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Armstrong, who co-wrote the 2010 terrorism satire Four Lions with director Chris Morris, is penning the screenplay for the Anchorman director Adam McKay. The latter previously worked with Ferrell and Reilly on the comedies Step Brothers and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Armstrong's script will centre on two guards who are dedicated to protecting the US border from illegal immigration.

The writer has been on Hollywood's radar since he was nominated for a best adapted screenplay Oscar (alongside writing partner Sam Bain) for the 2009 political satire In the Loop, which was based on the BBC TV show The Thick of It. Armstrong is also the author of the intriguing script Murdoch, a drama in which Rupert Murdoch and his family disagree over who should have control of the media baron's businesses. That project made the Black List of the best unfilmed screenplays in Hollywood in 2010.