It seems it’s almost become a Hollywood rite of passage that at some point an actor has to be linked to lead role in the Incredible Mr. Limpet, the remake of 1964 film that’s been trying to struggle out of development hell for years. Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Johnny Depp and numerous others have all been involved at some stage, but each has eventually declined.
However new impetus was given to the remake last year when Warner Bros hired Enchanted director Kevin Lima to oversee the film, and it seems he’s got a new actor in his sights – Zach Galifianakis. According to the LA Times, the Hangover star, who’s currently being offered just about every comedy going, is in early talks for the role, which would see him take over the role made famous by Don Knotts.
In the original, Henry Limpet loves his pet fish so much that he desperately wants to be one. He manages to get his wish, getting scales and some gills, and then leaves his old life behind and helps the US Navy find U-boats during the Second World War. While the 1964 film was a combination of live action and hand-drawn animation, the new version would give things a CG brush-up.
Although the film might get made with Galifianakis in the lead, it’s difficult to know exactly what it is that’s attracted so many names to the remake (even if they all subsequently left) and kept it in development for years, as the idea is bizarre and it’s not even like the original is a well remembered classic.