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What's that, you say? A sequel to 2012's The Three Stooges? No thanks. I'd much rather poke my own eyes and kick myself in the balls...wait, let's back up here. After the original line-up of Sean Penn, Jim Carrey, and Benicio Del Toro all eventually dropped out of the Farrelly Brothers’ remake of The Three Stooges, expectations were so low for the film that audiences and critics were genuinely surprised that the film wasn’t a total disaster. “It’s not as bad as you think it is” isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement, let alone the kind of fandom needed to warrant a second film but, according to THR, a sequel is indeed in the works.
If none of the cast from the first film were returning, I’d assume this was a direct-to-DVD cash grab that is banking less on the recent movie and more on just the classic Three Stooges brand. But that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Sean Hayes (Larry), Will Sasso (Curly), and Chris Diamantopoulos (Moe) will all be reprising their roles. I haven’t cared for Hayes in recent years, but Sasso had some funny moments on his years on MADtv, and Diamantopoulos has been the funniest thing about HBO’s Silicon Valley so far this season. So maybe I shouldn’t totally write this sequel off.
Cameron Fay (Brother in Laws) is penning the script, which is being conceived as an “action-comedy rather than a straight comedy.” There’s no word on who will direct — fingers crossed the Farrelly Brothers don't return — but producers are apparently also looking for a “major action star” to round out the cast.
I’d bet good money that they’re trying to get Dwayne “Franchise Viagra” Johnson to help invigorate this franchise. Even if they do land a major star or get a more relevant team behind the camera, I’ll keep my expectations low. If I do that, who knows? Maybe they’ll surprise me.
