Identity Thief has the makings of a pretty successful comedy. It’s got two great leads in Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy, an absurdly goofy premise (a woman steals a man’s identity), and Horrible Bosses director Seth Gordon is at the helm. Universal must realize they’ve got a potential hit on their hands as well, as the studio (per Box Office Mojo) has set the film for nearly the same release date as last year’s smash hit Bridesmaids: May 10th, 2013. The film will face some considerable box office competition on that date as it squares off against Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim. Furthermore, it opens merely one week after the release of Iron Man 3 and one week before Star Trek 2.

In addition to starring, Bateman is also producing Identity Thief, and McCarthy’s role was originally envisioned as a male part until Bateman caught the actress’ scene-stealing performance in Bridesmaids. I’m pretty thrilled by the idea of Gordon in the director’s chair, and the thought of Bateman and McCarthy going toe-to-toe is certainly enticing. No word on what type of rating they’re shooting for, but given that both Bridesmaids and Horrible Bosses were successful R-rated comedies, I’m hoping they go with R.