Back in 2011, The LA Times reported that filmmaker Richard Linklater (Before Midnight, Dazed and Confused) was the top choice to direct a big budget remake of the 1964 family comedy The Incredible Mr. Limpet, which starred Don Knotts as a guy who turned into a fish. Now, nearly three years later, Linklater has officially signed on to direct the movie, Screen Daily reports. Zach Galifianakis was in talks to star in the movie back in 2010, but it’s not known whether he’s still attached to the project.
Linklater is teaming up with Femke Wolting and Tommy Pallotta, who will be working on design and animation for the live-action/animation combo. Pallotta previously did the rotoscope work for Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly and Waking Life.
Jim Carrey was previously attached to star in a remake of The Incredible Mr. Limpet back in 1998 with his Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls director Steve Oedekerk at the helm. That project fell apart, but I did manage to dig up some beautiful, frightening designs from it last year. The Linklater/Galifianakis version of the fish probably won’t end up looking as scary.