Ben Stiller to Star in 'I Am Chippendales', Enters Talks to Direct 'The Current War'

Not every movie about strippers can be as fun as Magic Mike (or the upcoming sequel Magic Mike XXL) or Striptease. Some involve fraud, arson, and murder, and Ben Stiller has found himself attached to one of those films, taking a lead role in the long-developing I Am Chippendales.

Once a project eyed by Tony Scott some years ago, Alan Ball (American Beauty) will write, produce, and direct the adaptation of Rodney Sheldon's book about Paul Snider and Somen “Steve” Banerjee. Banerjee was a former gas station attendant who bought a rundown old nightclub and, with the help of Snider, turned it into the famous night club, Chippendales. Stiller will play Nick DeNoia, a choreographer who helped come up with the idea for the strip joint and expand it to a global level until Banerjee tried to have them killed.

Sounds like weighty material, although it was described awhile back as being in the vein of True Romance. Who knows how it will actually end up, but Stiller has another project coming up that will find him behind the camera rather than in front. Last year he was mentioned as a possibility to direct The Current War, and now Deadline says he's official in talks for the job. Michael Mitnick's Black List script follows public war between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to supply the first stable electric current.

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Ben Stiller May Direct Thomas Edison Film, 'The Current War'

Although it's not what most people think of when the subject of Ben Stiller comes up, he's always been a successful filmmaker in his own right. Today saw the release of the trailer for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which Stiller both stars in and directs, and the response was so strong many are starting to look at it as a potential Oscar favorite. And it seems like Stiller is ready to take his directing career to another level, as he's already working with Robert Downey Jr. on Pinocchio, and now he's taking on a project based on two of our most famous inventors.

Last year, Timur Bekmambetov became attached to helm The Current War, based on a Black List script by Michael Mitnick that chronicles the public war between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to supply stable electric current. Bekmambetov has now stepped down, moving solely into a producer role, and Stiller is one of a handful of names circling the directing gig.

It sounds like potential awards bait, fitting for producers The Weinstein Company and Steve Zaillian. The other names vying for the job have yet to be revealed, but hopefully we'll hear more soon.[THR]

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