Mellow Bros: Jason Segel and Ed Helms will star in Jeff Who Lives at Home, a “stoner comedy†from Mark and Jay Duplass for Paramount. The Duplass brothers wrote and directed the feature, which follows a day in the life of two brothers, one “a loser who lives at home†(Segel) and the other (Helms) more “together but overbearing.†We imagine the pitch went something like: “Imagine Step Brothers … now trade out John C. Reilly for Andy Bernard.†[HR]
Team Hoover: Clint Eastwood’s next directing project will be a biopic of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard will produce the film, which is from a script by Dustin Lance Black (Milk). The film isn’t yet attached to a studio, though it is likely to end up at Warner Bros., The Hollywood Reporter says. They might as well just hand out the seven or so Oscar nominations for this one now. [HR]
Steve Goes Big: Steve Martin will join the cast of The Big Year, starring Jack Black and Owen Wilson and directed by David Frankel (Marley & Me, The Devil Wears Prada). Based on Mark Obmascik’s book The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession, the story centers on three men who try to “outdo†each other … in a competition to spot the rarest birds in North America. What, you didn’t assume the title Big Year referred to bird-watching!? [HR]
Let’s Get Criminal: Gary Oldman, Malin Akerman, and Milo Ventimiglia will star in the Cliff Dorfman–directed “indie gangster project†Criminal Empire for Dummys. Funny, last time I was in Barnes & Noble, they were all sold out of that one! [Variety]
Kill Them With Kindness: Richard Kind has joined the cast of the Michael Mann–David Milch HBO pilot Luck, already starring Dustin Hoffman, Nick Nolte, and Dennis Farina. Basically, if you are a distinguished male actor over the age of 50 and you haven’t gotten a call for this, you may want to think about firing your agent. [Variety]
Elisha’s Happy Ending: 24 alumna Elisha Cuthbert will play the female lead in ABC’s comedy pilot Happy Endings, which is about a bride (Cuthbert) and groom who break up at the altar and then have to figure out how “they and their four friends can maintain their relationship.†Ironic titles are the best! [HR]