With the disappointing box office showing of “The Watch” this weekend, Ben Stiller is likely hoping that the tried-and-true hands that helped make the “Madagascar” films such rousing successes will work his magic for the actor's next film, the big-screen adaptation of late 70s/early 80s Brit TV comedy “Rentaghost.”
Director Tom McGrath will be making his live-action directorial debut with the project, originally announced as a vehicle for Russell Brand, and described as a “Beetlejuice”-styled romp that follows “Fred Mumford, a recently deceased guy determined to be more productive as a corpse than he was during his life as a slacker. He attempts to set himself up in business with a couple of other ghouls, starting a temp agency for the dead. Muford and cohorts rent out ghouls and ghosts to the living, until things go awry.” And given the current climate for all things involving vampires, zombies and more, we reckon there is some good comedic turf here to play on.
McGrath has previously only co-directed the three “Madagascar” films and “Megamind,” and will be going to bat with a script written by Stiller-approved “Night At The Museum” writers Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant. And all of this suggests something that will be aimed toward families, and not R-rated audiences. And after the last weekend’s returns on “The Watch,” Stiller will likely keep a tighter grip on the project in order to maintain a high quality control, something the actor is known for. [Variety]