We’ve heard more than our fair share of updates from the planned Farrelly Brothers movie based on The Three Stooges. The movie has been on the way for what seems like an eternity, and Jim Carrey, Sean Penn, and Benicio Del Toro were all attached to star as the bumbling trio at one point.
Sadly, the movie was another of the many victims of MGM’s highly publicized financial troubles, and constant delays saw the project fall to pieces.
Now it would appear that The Three Stooges has new life with word of a brand new home. Deadline is reporting that 20th Century Fox has picked up the pieces and will now move forward with the movie, hoping to begin filming by March. This also puts them back on the trail for the next set of actors they’ll choose for the lead roles.
Here’s what Peter Farrelly had to say about this new life for his movie:
The script is ready to go, and we are opening up these roles to the world right now. We’ll make it with the best possible people. Our feeling is that no star is too big to audition and no matter who it is, we’re going to have to see him in the role. This is not The Flintstones. You’ve got to be Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard, and that could be a major movie star or an unknown.
The only thing about that quote is that it’s still pretty questionable whether Penn (Larry), Carrey (Curly), and/or Del Toro (Moe) were the best choices for the roles. It has to be thought that they could do much better than that, and hopefully they will.
As for details, it sounds like the movie will be short and sweet, and very faithful to the original slap-happy show. It will start with the Stooges as babies, left at an orphanage where they’ll torment the staff, including a head nun that might end up being played by Farrelly constant, Richard Jenkins. The movie is aiming for a family friendly PG rating and will be presented in three 27-minute sections, allowing for the use of all three classic Three Stooges theme songs.
Farrelly added:
There will be non-stop slapping, more in the tone of Dumb and Dumber than anything else we’ve done. Our goal is 85 minutes of laughs in a film that will be very respectful of who the Stooges were. It’s by far the riskiest project we’ve ever done, without question, but it is also the one closest to our hearts.
If ever there was a time to start an internet movement to get who you want to see cast in the mix, this is it.
Personally, I’d have to go with Chris Cooper (Adaptation, American Beauty) or the original choice, Russell Crowe, as Moe; David Paymer (Drag Me To Hell, The Good Wife) or Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man, Boardwalk Empire) as Larry; Ray Winstone (The Proposition, The Departed) or Paul Giamatti (Sideways, John Adams) as Curly. I’m not sure Winstone could nail the voice or if he has the comedy chops (he’s usually an intimidating force), and Giamatti was always a choice for Larry, but I think he might be more fun as ol’ Curly.
Share your picks for all three roles in the comments below!
I suggest an internet movement to flush this abomination back into permanent development hell where it belongs
Comment by Chris — December 3, 2010 @ 1:36 pm
giamatti = curly joe
Comment by Racer X — December 3, 2010 @ 5:15 pm
Ha! There’s that too.
I’m sure it’d have quite a few supporters.
Comment by The Movie God — December 3, 2010 @ 8:24 pm