Just when you think the revolving door gag surrounding the casting for the Farrelly Brother's The Three Stooges couldn't get any more bizarre, someone who we thought had left the building is suddenly back and standing in the lobby. Here is a quick refresher: it all started back in February, when the rumor was floated that Sean Penn and Johnny Depp were getting set to play Larry and Moe in back in a Three Stooges revival.Then, news came in March that the Sean Penn casting was true, but Jim Carrey would be playing Curly instead of Depp, and Benicio Del Toro would be playing Larry. With me so far? The snake then turned again in June, when Penn announced, in the year after winning the Academy Award, that he would be taking the next year off to spend time with his family, leaving the project. The project then came back up in August, with the announcement that Paul Giamatti would be replacing Penn, but Jim Carrey bailed on the project. Still there? Well, now we have a new update, and it is almost certain to make your head hurt.
The Boston Herald has reported that Penn is now back. Speaking with the paper, Bobby Farrelly was quoted saying that the Oscar winner has returned to the project after things with Giamatti didn't work out (when did this happen?). With the brothers now focusing their attention on their Owen Wilson comedy Hall Pass, which is due to start filming next month, it is unknown when the project will start up.
So... we have a Moe and a Larry, but no Curly. Fantastic. As if this whole bloody affair hasn't been exhausting enough. And, what's more, it still seems like the strangest bit of casting I've seen in a while. After all, these two actors are better known for being a revenge-hungry father from Boston and Che Guevara than slap-stick comedians. I will say this: the haircuts should be dynamite.
