Penn reinvigorates "Three Stooges"

Some intriguing/exciting news coming from The Playlist today: Sean Penn has returned to the role of Larry Fine in the Farrelly Brothers’ ill-fated “Three Stooges” project.

A few months back, in the midst of recurring domestic tumult, Penn stated he was going to take a year off from acting and sort things out with his wife of 13 years, Robin Wright Penn (from whom it seems he has finally separated).

His hiatus and resulting departure from “The Three Stooges” didn’t bode well for the would-be-film. And it didn’t help things that Jim Carrey – slated to portray Curly in the film – dropped out soon after.

But now that Penn’s marital misfortune has been finalized and his hiatus has been jettisoned, the fact that there are two arguably unworthy clowns helming the project is less troubling (even though Paul Giamatti in the role would’ve also given the film some credibility).

It would really smooth things over if Carrey returned as well, as he’s proved his dramatic chops and devotion to characters time and time again (“Man on the Moon,” “The Truman Show,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”), but who knows.

At the very least, a modicum of faith has been restored.

And Perhaps labeling the Farrelly Brothers “unworthy clowns” is unfair. While it’s true that their track record isn’t too impressive in regard to this venture, it’s wrong to prematurely condemn the film based on it. After all, Woody Allen made “Bananas” before he made “Interiors.”