Update: Apparently Variety had their facts a little askew. It turns out that while Knoxville expressed interest for the role of Moe, the Farrelly Brothers never officially put an offer on the table, so there was nothing for him to be “close to” accepting. Too bad, it would have been funny seeing him try to pull off that bowl cut.
Earlier: There’s been buzz about who the Farrelly Brothers might land for their long-awaited Three Stooges tribute, aptly titled The Three Stooges. We were first a little concerned about their casting choices for Larry; they were waffling between Larry David and Justin Timberlake (because they’re so similar, right?). Now it seems that they may be closer to landing their Moe. The king Jackass himself, Johnny Knoxville, is almost certainly the actor for the role. Knoxville has been rumored for the part for a while, but according to Variety, the official announcement is forthcoming.
The stunt-man turned actor (hey, he was in The Ringer and Men in Black II okay?) will play Moe Howard in a story that follows the stooges from being three babies left on the steps of an orphanage to their full comedic glory. As an homage to the original Stooges shorts, the film will play out in three acts in the form of half-hour shorts that tell the Stooges’ story. While I think adding Knoxville will definitely lend a Generation X feel to a film born out of old-fashioned inspiration, but it just might work. After all, the guy has made a name for himself with the ultimate in extreme slapstick, except that instead of it all being carefully staged stunts, he walks away with broken bones, cuts, and abrasions. How hard could it be for him to get into some staged slapstick? It would be a walk in the park.
