The Farrelly Brothers Bringing Three Stooges to the Big Screen
Peter and Bobby Farrelly
Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.
MGM has breathed new life into Peter and Bobby Farrelly's Three Stooges pet project, one that the duo had been working on with Warner Bros. for nearly five years. According to Variety, the Farrellys will polish the original script they wrote with Michael Cerrone and direct the film, which is set for a Nov. 20, 2009, release.
Peter Farrelly said he and his brother will make sure the flick doesn't abandon what made Moe, Larry and Curly so popular in their day. Unlike many of Farrelly brothers' raunchy comedies, this $45 million flick will be rated either PG or PG-13 and feature slapstick stunts that dominated the original Stooges shorts. Additionally, the film will be structured like the original shorts, telling a story that plays out in 25- to 30-minute installments.
"It's not a biopic. It takes place in present day, and they look, dress and sound exactly like the Stooges," Peter Farrelly said. "When the economy started turning, we felt like the world could use a Stooges slapfest. Bobby and I haven't done a real physical comedy in a while, and it's the most exciting thing we could think of now, to have people go to the movie, see some great slapstick, fun family humor."
Another challenge facing the brothers is casting Curly, whose iconic role is the most physically demanding. Farrelly said American Idol-like auditions would be held in three or four cities across the country, with a finalist being chosen in Los Angeles. A separate contest will be held to find original comedy shorts that will play before the film, recreating the movie-going experience of the Stooge's heyday.
"We know this is extremely difficult to pull off; we realize some Stooges fans will be upset no matter what we do," Farrelly said. "We love the Stooges and honor their memory, and we don't want them to disappear. [We hope] dads will introduce their kids to the Stooges and create a new generation of knuckleheads."
Are you excited for some hair-pulling, eye-gouging fun?
