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Steve Carell Joins French Soldier Comedy Brigadier Gerard

by Alex Billington
October 16, 2008

Steve Carell has joined a period comedy titled Brigadier Gerard about a French solider named Etienne Gerard during the Napoleonic wars who considers himself a gallant swordsman but whose actual skills often pale in comparison to his own conception of them. "King of the Hill" and Blades of Glory writers John Altshuler and David Krinsky penned the script, which is based on a series of short stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. The producers are hoping to get Carell to shoot this during his hiatus from "The Office" next spring, since he also has Get Smart 2 and other projects lined up. No director has been chosen yet.

Carell is definitely a solid comedic actor, but this concept about a French solider during the 1800's seems a bit too goofy to be good. I can't really remember a period comedy that was truly great, so help me out if there are some I'm forgetting. Altshuler and Krinsky aren't really bad writers, but I guess I'm curious to see whether they've improved at all after helping out on the Blades of Glory screenplay. Because Brigadier Gerard is going to need more than just a bunch of one-liners to actually turn out good. I've heard a lot of people complain about Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill, but do most moviegoers still love Steve Carell as well?

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