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'Night at the Museum' Writers & Ben Stiller Reteam for 'Rentaghost'

by Ethan Anderton
October 12, 2011
Source: Deadline

Towards the end of last year we learned that British comedian Russell Brand was reaching back into British TV from decades past for a new feature film. At the time Warner Bros. set him to star in a big screen adaptation of Rentaghost, the original UK children's comedy series which ran on BBC from 1976-1984. However, apparently Brand decided against the project after Arthur didn't open strong enough at the box office. Now Deadline reports 20th Century Fox has snagged the rights to make the film and set Ben Stiller to lead it with Night at the Museum writers Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant scripting. More below!

Originally the film was going to follow Fred Mumford, a recently deceased slacker who can only make something of his life after his death when he teams up with a couple of other ghosts and ghouls who open Rentaghost as a service for the living. However, this version with Stiller will have him playing an American turnaround consultant who is sent to the UK to reinvigorate a failing company. Likely, he doesn't know what kind of company he's getting caught up in and we'll have the same kind of humor and story from Night at the Museum to drive it. Since the family friendly franchise is better than most of the films geared towards kids, I'm fine with Lennon and Garant reuniting with Stiller for a project like this, though it's not clear how soon it will get off the ground since no director is attached to the project and Stiller has Neighborhood Watch, a new take on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and hopefully Zoolander 2 in the works.

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