Just as “MacGruber” hits theaters, the TV show that inspired the parody is making strides in its journey to the big screen.

New Line, which is developing the “MacGyver” movie, has tapped Jason Richman to pen the script.

“MacGyver,” of course, is the adventure series that ran from 1985-92 on ABC and starred Richard Dean Anderson as a resourceful secret agent who uses ingenious, science-inspired trickery to escape danger.

I’d missed the Friday night “Kick-Ass” premiere at SXSW to attend “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” (really good), so Monday’s world premiere of Rogue/Universal’s “MacGruber” at the Paramount was my first full-on blowout of the fest in terms of celebrity and buzz.

The admittance line for badge-holders wrapped around the block, and people started forming a queue at 6:45 p.m. for a 9:30 show. This year’s fest is definitely bigger than last year’s, and to combat the diminishing odds of getting into movies, many badge-holders hop in line with friends. I mean, I heard about someone doing that. Far away from me.

The SXSW Film Conference and Festival unleashed its complete feature lineup late Wednesday night, and it’s got some must-see world premieres (”Kick-Ass,” “MacGruber,” “Elektra Luxx“) and thus-far-unseen gems. Running in ecstatic overlap with SXSW’s voluminous music and interactive fests — from March 12-20 — the film festival has developed its own distinct Texas flavor (separate from the great Austin Film Festival’s screenwriter-centric identity).

Fest producer Janet Pierson with Seth Rogen in 2009.

Industry vet Janet Pierson took over the job of festival producer in 2008 and here discusses her year-two approach to organizing the event.

What’s your background? You were a producer for a long time?

I came up through distribution and exhibition in the late ’70s. I was the assistant director of the Film Forum ‘81 to ‘86. John Pierson and I hooked up in ‘82, married in ‘83. After “She’s Gotta Have It” opened, I quit the Film Forum and just worked with John for a couple decades as a producer’s rep, co-creator and executive producer of “Split Screen,” which was our filmmaker-friendly magazine format television show. It’s funny, because the filmmakers who passed through that show, so many of them are still working and have features all over the place. We moved here in 2004 and I was asked to take over the festival in April ‘08 for the ‘09 festival.

Anyone keeping an eye on studio development over the past few weeks could be forgiven for thinking Hollywood is either so tireless it's finally coming up with some fresh ideas or so tired it's coming up with some really lame ones.

Two brand-related projects that have come to light over the past few days suggest both extremes.

The first, which just broke Tuesday, is the MacGruber movie that's getting going at Relativity with Ryan Phillippe, Will Forte and Kristen Wiig likely starring and original helmer Jorma Taccone directing. The SNL sketches on which this pic is based puts a distracted, self-defeating crisis man in a series of high-pressure situations in what's a pretty cagey spoof of MacGyver.

There are plenty of tie-in associations with these skits — not just to the original MacGyver but to Richard Dean Anderson (who has cameoed) and a series of Pepsi spots that have been built around the MacGruber character.