Steve Carell has attached himself to a spec script called The Beaver, which is currently causing something of a frenzy in Hollywood circles.
From the title alone, you'd guess that perhaps Kyle Killen's script was a pseudo-sequel to The 40 Year-Old Virgin, with Carell turning up the raunch – instead, though, it's apparently a sweet, whimsical and winning script about a man who not only walks around with a beaver puppet perpetually attached to his hand, but also treats the puppet like it's real.
Anonymous Content is currently looking for a director to come on board the project. Once that happens, expect studios around Hollywood to get involved in a bidding war which, for Killen, would be something of a dream scenario – it's his first script, giving hope to any Empire readers out there who might be budding screenwriters.
But it remains to be seen if this will be Carell's next film. In his upcoming hiatus from The Office: An American Workplace, the actor may only have room to shoot one movie. At the moment, he's got Get Smart 2 and Brigadier Gerard on his slate. The Beaver makes three.
However, it's so low-key and apparently inexpensive - The Beaver may talk, but it won't be CG - that he may well be able to squeeze it in alongside either of the other two effects-heavy comedies. If we were his Mr. 10%, we know what we'd be advising (apart from that he pays us 15%)...