Sean Penn, Jim Carrey, and Benicio Del Toro Cast as Three Stooges

By Jeff Olson
March 25, 2009
Source: Variety

This is for real. Academy Award winning actor Sean Penn will be playing Larry in the Farrelly Brother’s Three Stooges movie. Joining him for the screwball comedy will be Jim Carrey who is set to play Curly. The Stooges wouldn’t be complete without a Moe, who will be played by Benicio Del Toro. This is a diverse cast for a movie which is being called a comedy and not a biopic. It will not center on the men who played these characters, but instead on the characters themselves. This is not surprising since the Farrelly Brothers will be directing the feature. MGM is backing the project which expects to begin shooting this fall for a 2010 release.

This cast surprises me because of the inclusion of Penn who is obviously not known for his comedic chops. I believe Penn is a brilliant actor, and given the right material, could shine. Carrey is an obvious choice to play a “Stooge.” His slapstick style will fit perfectly with the Farrelly Brothers who have brought audiences There’s Something About Mary, Me, Myself, and Irene, and Stuck on You. The Farrelly brothers have had some hits (Something About Mary) and some major flops ( Ben Stiller’s Heartbreak Kid), however they could bring the best out of this trio of actors.

It is reported that Carrey plans to put on 40 pounds of play Jerome “Curly” Howard. I have no doubt that this will be a great role for Carrey. Del Toro showed his comedic styling in Guy Ritchie’s Snatch, but that is about it. The Academy Award winning actor, along with Penn, is not known for being funny. This is not a bad thing, because sometimes the most serious actors can be the funniest (See Robert Deniro in Meet the Parents.)

The Farrelly Brothers have been working on this project for ten years now. Multiple studios had passed on the idea until MGM decided to roll with it. I look forward to see this movie come together, and as strange and diverse a cast as this is, I think it fits perfectly into the world of The Three Stooges.