It’s almost lucky for Jason Bateman that Horrible Bosses and The Change-Up came out so close together in the US, as the success of the former has helped people ignore the failure of the latter. He’s still incredibly in demand, with Deadline reporting that Bateman and Bridesmaids star Melissa McCarthy are coming together to star in the new comedy ID Theft.
The comedy was originally set to feature Jason Bateman’s character having his identity stolen by another man, but after Melissa McCarthy’s breakthrough turn in Bridesmaids, the identity thief is being reworked for the actress. It just goes to show how much McCarthy’s fortunes have changed in the last few months, going from friend roles and parts that relied on her weight to an in-demand actress in her own right.
Jason Bateman is also producing ID Theft from an original screenplay by Steve Conrad, with Craig Mazin performing rewrites. . Production is scheduled to begin in April 2012, when McCarthy is on hiatus from her CBS sitcom Mike & Molly.