Yes, yes… We couldn’t resist the headline even though Schreiber is really only signing on to PJ Hogan’s next film, Mental. We’re not made of stone! Anyway, the actor is definitely aboard the project, which stars Toni Collette.
Mental finds Shaz (Collette) a madcap, headstrong hitchhiker who is hired by a scummy politician to play nanny to his five girls when he puts his wife in the hospital with a nervous breakdown after his many affairs. Suffice to say the match will not be a perfect one. There’s no mention of it, but we’re guessing Schreiber’s nabbing the role of the cheating political hubby.
"Like Muriel's Wedding, Mental is a comedy laced with pain and brimming with flawed but lovable characters," Hogan tells Variety. "Shaz is hilarious, outrageous, dangerous, courageous, inspiring, heart-breaking and totally, totally mad." It’s the first time the pair has worked together since Wedding and it also marks Hogan’s return to Australia.
It all kicked off shooting Down Under yesterday and Hogan has a planned three-month schedule ahead of him. Here’s hoping the final product walks the line of sensitivity about Shaz – though given how subtle and funny the pair were able to be with Wedding, we’re sure they’ve found some solid middle ground.