Author: Dignan
Published: Jun 17th, 2009
Category: The Original Blog
Comments: None

Sean Penn Backs Out Of Peter and Bobby Farrelly’s Three Stooges Movie

Tags: farrelly bros three stooges, sean penn 3 stooges, sean penn larry, sean penn larry three stooges, sean penn three stooges

If you eagerly anticipating the return of Sean Penn and his Carlito’s Way wig in Peter and Bobby Farrelly’s Three Stooges Movie, your hopes are as dead as Carlito ‘Charlie’ Brigante. From THR.com:

It is understood that the two-time Oscar-winning actor-writer-director is taking a leave from his Hollywood career to focus on his family. Penn has already informed the productions he will not be available. It’s unclear how long the absence could last, though sources have said up to a year.

Penn’s moves now leave both projects in the lurch, though “Stooges’ ” dilemma is potentially more serious.

Peter and Bobby Farrelly have spent the better part of a decade trying to get “Stooges” off the ground, and in March they pulled off a major casting coup: Penn as Larry, with Jim Carrey as Curly and Benicio del Toro as Moe.

Now MGM and the Farrellys, who wrote the script and are slated to direct, need to decide whether they will wait for Penn or seek to find a new actor.

Time and availability are the issues: “Stooges” was eyeing a late August start date, and MGM has slotted it for a 2010 release. If the studio does wait, it could risk losing Carrey and del Toro. On the other hand, half of Hollywood would poke their eyes out for the part.