Posted on 02/09/2004 2:45:55 PM PST by presidio9
Hollywood director Peter Farrelly is hoping Russell Crowe will play Moe Howard in his next blockbuster - The Three Stooges.
Farrelly, who with brother Bobby, has directed such films as There's Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber, Shallow Hal and Just Married.
He is in Sydney this week to promote the pair's latest film Stuck On You, a comedy about conjoined twins played by Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear.
"It is ultimately a love affair between two brothers that look after each other," Farrelly said of the film which also stars Cher and Meryl Streep.
Farrelly said he and Bobby came up with the idea for the film in 1990 but found it hard to spark interest in the venture.
"At the time people were particularly afraid of a movie about conjoined twins," he said.
"People would not say why but they just said it was too mean. We believed we could do something really fun and different."
The Farrelly brothers have been confirmed to direct The Three Stooges and are in the planning stages of production.
"We would like to get Russell Crowe for Moe," Farrelly said.
"We are big fans and he has not done a big comedy like this so we think it would be fun to work with him."
They are yet to approach Crowe but believe he would be perfect for the role.
"We just go through a process of throwing around a bunch of ideas and he has been somebody that we have been wanting to work with for a long time and he just sort of stuck.
"He is the perfect Moe. He hasn't done a big comedy and the movie is basically The Stooges are back in the present day, there is no time machine taking you back."
Bradley Thomas, who has produced many of the Farrelly's films, agreed.
Thomas said actors were often unnecessarily pigeon holed.
"I believe that any great actor can do comedy," Thomas said.
"These guys get pigeon holed by the studios who say well this guy is a comedic actor and this guy is a dramatic actor."
He said the Farrelly's had always tried to get one comedy actor and one dramatic actor in all of their films, citing Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black in Shallow Hal.
Farrelly said he had not even thought about who would fill the roles of the other two Stooges, Larry Fine and Curly Howard.
"Until we get Moe, we are not going to go for the others but we have ideas," he said.
More generally, Farrelly said Aussie entertainers had "always been great".
"You have got your share of people in the arts, that is for sure."
Stuck On You opens nationally on Thursday February 12 while The Three Stooges is likely to be released late next year.
Needs to add some weight, but this could be a Curly candidate.
"My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next...Nuk...nuk...nuk..."
I don't see it...
Okay...say this ten times in a roe....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.