Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy to Star in THE ID THEFT

Jason Bateman is lining up his next comedy, and it looks like Bridesmaids star Melissa McCarthy will be along for the ride. Deadline reports that Bateman and McCarthy are attached to star in the comedy The ID Theft, which Bateman is also producing. The film was originally set to center on a guy who steals another guy’s identity, but apparently Bateman pushed for McCarthy to take on the role of the titular theft after seeing her scene-stealing performance in Bridesmaids.

Steve Conrad (The Pursuit of Happyness) wrote the original script, but Craig Mazin (The Hangover Part II) is currently doing a rewrite. Bateman kills pretty much any role he takes on, and McCarthy was fantastic in Bridesmaids, so this is definitely an exciting pairing. The film is expected to shoot during McCarthy’s hiatus from her CBS comedy Mike and Molly next April. Bridesmaids was a showcase for the actress’ talent, as she’s sold a pitch to Paramount, landed a role in Judd Apatow’s This is Forty, may possibly be starring in an Apatow/Feig comedy with Jon Hamm, and is set to host the upcoming season of SNL all in the wake of the monster hit.