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Steve Martin is Having a 'Big Year' Instead of Dustin Hoffman

by Ethan Anderton
March 11, 2010

For a little while now, Dustin Hoffman has been attached to star opposite Jack Black and Owen Wilson in the comedy The Big Year, an adaptation of Mark Obmascik's book The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession. But now THR reports that Steve Martin, fresh off last weekend's stint as co-host of the Academy Awards, is in negotiations to take over the lead role instead of Hoffman in the story of three men who try to outdo each other in a bird-watching competition to spot the rarest birds in North America. The rivalry is an allegory for the challenges each faces in his own life. Oh, fancy movies and their allegories!

Written by Howard Franklin (Antitrust, The Man Who Knew Too Little) and to be directed by David Frankel (Marley & Me, The Devil Wears Prada), the film is finally supposed to start shooting up in Canada this May after a long development with Fox 2000. I think having Black, Martin and Wilson facing off with each other in this bird-watching competition sounds like it could be fun, but at the same time it seems like this could be a comedy with some substance and not just raucous nonsensical laughs like most of Martin's recent movies. We can only hope for the best, and see how it turns out. Stay tuned for updates. What do you guys think?

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