Zoolander 2 in the Works; Jonah Hill as Villain

It took me about 5 viewings to finally start liking Zoolander, the 2001 Ben Stiller film about a good natured but moronic supermodel. Eventually it grew on me, not exactly for Stiller but for Will Ferrell's turn as evil fashion mogul, Mugatu. Rumors of a sequel have been going around for years, but it never seemed to take off. Looks like that's about to change.

Deadline.com is reporting that Paramount has finally reeled in writer Justin Thoreaux(Iron Man, Tropic Thunder) to work with Ben Stiller on a script. The story reportedly will take place 10 years after the last film, with him dealing with the fact that he's no longer a model. Paramount's plan is to keep the budget below $50M, due to the fact that Zoolander was not a financial success during it's theatrical run, although it has taken on sortof a cult status on DVD. If you remember, Zoolander was released about two weeks after the 9/11 attacks, a time when nobody was going to the movies.

The plan is to bring in Jonah Hill to play Zoolander's nemesis this go'round. No word yet on whether Will Ferrell will make an appearance. Stiller is on record as saying that a sequel can't be made without Owen Wilson reprising his role as Hansel, a rival male model who reluctantly joins Zoolander to thwart Mugatu.