In one of the most unusual casting choices of 2012, Deadline reports that Sean Penn is lined up to take on a role in The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty starring alongside comedy regular, Ben Stiller.
The film will remake the 1947 classic – which starred Danny Kaye as the eponymous pulp-fiction writer – and will be directed, as well as lead by, Stiller. The story is being revamped for a modern audience by turning Mitty from a down-on-his-luck, day-dreaming writer…into a down-on-his-luck, day-dreaming magazine photo editor. In this version, the aforementioned daydreams will centre around co-worker Kristen Wiig.
When a photo negative mysteriously goes missing, Mitty is tasked with tracking it down and ends up on an actual REAL LIFE adventure – as opposed to one constructed in his nerdy little head.
This project hasd been cknocking about for some time, but if Stiller finally gets this thing off the ground, Penn will also star alongside Adam Scott, Patton Oswalt, Shirley MacLaine and Josh Charles. He can currently be found on screen in Paolo Sorrentino’s This Must Be The Place, and will next be seen in Gangster Squad, which is still awaiting a release date.
