Casting Couch: The Adventures of Steve Carell

Steve Carell's got a Napoleon complex, Will Arnett's got a sitcom, and Hollywood's hot for a Tattoo biopic in today's deals

By Josh Grossberg Oct 16, 2008 4:08 PMTags
Steve Carell, Will Arnett, Herve VillechaizeJesse Grant/Getty Images, Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images, Ron Galella / Getty Images

Steve Carell's got a Napoleon complex. The Get Smart star is dumbing down to play the title character in The Adventures of Brigadier Gerard, per Variety. The comedy (what else?) centers on a Clouseau-like buffoon in the French army during the Napoleonic Wars and is written by the guys behind Blades of Glory and inspired by stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

• Speaking of Blades of Glory, Will Arnett just scored some big bucks from Fox to create and star in his own sitcom for the 2009-10 season. Call it an arresting development deal.

• Da biopic! Da biopic! Fantasy Island fans have had a dream come true with word that Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve Zaillian is on the hunt for the perfect actor to fill the shoes of Hervé "Tattoo" Villechaize in the biopic My Dinner With Hervé. The film will be written and directed by ex-journalist Sacha Gervasi, the last person to interview Villechaize before his 1993 suicide.