Benicio Del Toro Still the Front Runner for Moe in ‘The Three Stooges’

Following MGM’s reorganization, which placed Spyglass co-heads Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum as co-CEOs of the studio, we’re finally seeing some momentum from some of the studio’s stalled projects.

James Bond 23 already has a release date and the Farrelly Brothers are eyeing an April start for production on their Three Stooges film with Benicio Del Toro still interested in portraying lead-stooge Moe.

Three Stooges fans have endured an emotional roller coaster ride, ever since the Farrellys announced their intention to bring a new Stooges threesome to the silver screen back in 2009. Since the initial announcement, numerous names have been attached to the three lead roles: Sean Penn as well as Paul Giamatti were both, at one point, set to play zany middleman Larry, and Jim Carrey was considered a lock for the role of knucklehead Curly – until MGM’s legal problems seemingly destroyed the chance of the film ever being produced.

Despite a lot of back and forth over the casting of Larry and Curly, one actor has remained committed, or at least interested, in portraying the the gruff and no-nonsense Moe. Speaking with The Providence Journal, Peter Farrelly confirmed that Benicio Del Toro is still their top choice for Moe Howard:

“We’re casting, but nobody is in right now. Benicio [Del Toro] is the front runner for Moe, but we’ve not made a deal with him yet.”

Though Del Toro hasn’t wavered like his potential cast-mates, it’s important to remember that he isn’t locked for the role  - as recently as two weeks ago we reported on a rumor that Jackass lead Johnny Knoxville, SNL star Andy Samberg, and Australian comedian Shane Jacobson could be on the Farrelly’s shortlist for Moe, Larry, and Curly respectively.The rumor was quickly dismissed as untrue and annoying by Peter Farrelly but still indicates there’s some uncertainty surrounding the casting of the film’s three leads.

As for who might join Del Toro (assuming the actor signs-on) in the iconic roles previously held by Penn and Carrey, it appears to be anyone’s game:

“The problem is that everybody’s gotta read for the part. Our feeling is that it just can’t be your take on Moe. It’s gotta be Moe. Someone could nail Curly’s mannerisms, but if you’re 130 pounds it probably wouldn’t work.”

As we get closer to The Three Stooges production start date in April, it’ll be interesting to see who the Farrelly Brothers decide is, or is not, Larry, Curly, and Moe. Considering their interest in accomplished and diverse actors such as Benicio Del Toro, Jim Carrey, Sean Penn, and Paul Giamatti, the Farrellys seem to have a unique vision for how to resurrect the iconic comedy trio and it’s unlikely that the directors will turn to typical comedians like Knoxville and Samberg.

That said, if you’re expecting the Farrellys to ditch their slap-stick roots and channel Milos Forman’s Man on the Moon (which starred Carrey as funny-man Andy Kaufman), Peter Farrelly also discussed the story (which, we previously reported, will feature three very different acts with an interlaced story):

“It’s all new material. It’s not a biopic. We want to give a matinee feel to it. But none of the studios had any interest in it at the beginning. There was a lot to prove. We even had to show that in the script, despite all the hitting the Stooges were known for, it could be a PG movie.”

With traditionally slapstick subject matter, and a roster of films including Shallow Hal, The Heartbreak Kid, and Stuck on You, it’ll be intriguing to watch production unfold – and see how the filmmakers utilize an actor like Del Toro, should he sign on the dotted line.

Follow us on Twitter @iambenkendrick and @screenrant and let us know who you think should play the iconic Stooges.

The Three Stooges is tentatively scheduled to hit theaters in 2012.

Source: The Providence Journal [via Cinemablend]

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‘The Maze Runner’ Snags ‘Jackie’ Screenwriter

Fantastical teenage adventure/drama book-turned movie series are all the rage nowadays and everyone wants to be more the next Twilight, less the next Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant. Fox is certainly hoping to appeal to the under-20 demographic with its new cinematic adaptation of James Dashner’s bestseller, The Maze Runner.

Original Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke will helm The Maze Runner, which now has a screenwriter in the form of Noah Oppenheim – an Emmy-winning producer who’s recently been trying his hand at the art of movie scripting.

Oppenheim was recently signed on to pen the English-language adaptation of Swedish thriller Snabba Cash as a starring vehicle for (former) High School Musical heartthrob Zac Efron. His screenwriting career really took off with his Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis biopic, aka. Jackie. That script was heavily praised by Steven Spielberg and was seemingly set to be directed by Darren Aronofsky and star his fiancee, Rachel Weisz, before the two split and the former signed on for Wolverine 2 – two entirely unrelated events, as far as we know. Moving on…

24 Frames was responsible for this scoop about The Maze Runner, the sequel to which is titled The Scorch Trials and has been on the New York Times’ hardcover bestseller list since it was released in fall of 2010. Dashner plans to round out his series as a trilogy and Fox should be quite willing to bring all three of his novels to the big screen – assuming the first film adaptation is a hit, of course.

Here’s a description of the setup for The Maze Runner:

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Besides the obvious Adam/Eve allusion in this premise, The Maze Runner has drawn numerous comparisons to The Hunger Games trilogy with the “young people in peril” setup and its dystopian setting. Hardwicke may be best (or, rather, infamously) known nowadays for tackling the first entry in Stephenie Meyer’s supernatural creature romance series-turned cash cow, but she has a long track record of handling stories about the difficulties of pre-adulthood in lesser known works like Thirteen, Lords of Dogtown, and a cinematic version of The Nativity Story.

Hardwicke’s “edgy” fairy tale pic Red Riding Hood will arrive in theaters this spring and the subject matter of The Maze Runner is of a similar vein – like all her directorial work, really. Regardless of how one feels about Twilight, there’s no denying that Hardwicke is an auteur in her own right; has a unique visual style; and is even responsible for crafting some quality coming-of-age stories that are both gritty and yet not entirely rooted in the everyday world.

Keep an eye out for more information about The Maze Runner in the near future.

Source: LA Times

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