Peter and Bobby Farrelly have just brought The Three Stooges back to the big screen (though we have to wait until August for that to hit the UK) and for a possible follow-up, they’re looking at getting in touch with the devil. Okay, so they’re not really penning a missive to the big kahuna of Hell, but they are interested in a new comedy script called Dear Satan.
Dan Ewen has written the spec screenplay, which finds a 7-year-old girl accidentally misspelling Santa on her Christmas letter. So instead of a jolly, red-bellied old fellow bringing her a toy, the job ends up falling to Satan himself.
While it sounds like it draws from The Nightmare Before Christmas in terms of the concept, the idea actually sprang from Ewen’s time spent babysitting, and one of his charges making a slight mistake on a Christmas wish list. "There was this cute little card, covered in candy canes and glitter," Ewen tells Variety. "I fell in love with the idea of this note mistakenly being delivered to the Prince of Darkness and the fiery wackiness that would ensue."
Fox has snapped up the rights to the script, but it’s just one more project for the Farrellys to put in their development hopper, along with a touted sequel to Dumb And Dumber, and animated comedy Turkeys, which they’re producing.
Peter (above) is also partly behind the comedy shorts compilation now called Red Band, which features a host of actors including Emma Stone, Chloe Moretz, Elizabeth Banks, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Kristen Bell, Seann William Scott and Gerard Butler. That one is due out on January 25 next year.