2012’s The Three Stooges is not a bad movie. It’s not a good one, but it’s nowhere near the wretched mess the trailers made it out to be. It’s a kids’ movie, but not one that’s painful to sit through if you’re an adult. The movie was a lot of goofy slapstick, and the film worked on its own merits.

So while others may be groaning at the prospect of a sequel, I don’t mind that another Three Stooges movie is moving forwards. C3, Grand Peak, and The Exchange have announced that they’re creating a new Three Stooges, and that Sean Hayes (Larry), Chris Diamantopoulos (Moe) and Will Sasso (Curly), will reprise their roles and be joined by a major action star, who is TBA.

The press release makes no mention of the Farrelly Brothers, who were the major force driving The Three Stooges, which had been their passion project for years.   Screenwriter Cameron Fay (the upcoming film Brother in Laws starring Taran Killam) will pen the script. I’ll be interested to see if he follows the same structure as the first movie—three loosely connected stories bound by an overarching plot—or if they’ll go for something different.

The 2012 film was not a hit, but as The Exchange CEO Brian O’Shea said in the press release, the Three Stooges is a “powerful brand”, and companies hate wasting their brands.

the three stooges poster chris diamantopoulos will sasso sean hayes

Here's the press release:

Glendale, CA - May 8, 2015 - Earl Benjamin, CEO of C3 Entertainment, Inc. Alan Simpson, CEO of Grand Peaks Entertainmentand Brian O'Shea, CEO of The Exchange announced today that The Three Stooges are returning to the big screen in a new action-comedy feature film.

 

C3 and Grand Peaks will produce with The Exchange that will also handle worldwide sales. C3, The Three Stooges brand owner, will also run the film's licensing, merchandising and promotional programs.

 

Sean Hayes (Larry), Chris Diamantopoulos (Moe) and Will Sasso (Curly), will reprise their roles as The Three Stooges.

 

A major action star will be added to the cast.

 

Cameron Fay has been hired to write the script. Most recently, Fay penned BROTHER IN LAWS at Paramount which has Taran Killam starring and is awaiting release. Fay also has COSMIC in development at Walden.

 

C3's Earl Benjamin said, "We're excited to be moving forward with The Exchange and Grand Peaks on the next Three Stooges movie. With Sean, Chris and Will back as our Stooges and Cameron writing, this next film will be a truly unique blend of fast paced action with the hilarious mayhem of The Three Stooges."

 

"THE THREE STOOGES is an incredibly powerful brand, I am looking forward to give to the independent distributors the opportunity to participate in this commercial phenomenon," said O'Shea from The Exchange.

 

Pablo Velez of C3 will produce along with Alan Simpson (THE LAST FIVE YEARS) of Grand Peaks and Nat McCormick of The Exchange. Simpson and McCormick will provide the feature's development financing through their Exchange Peaks Capital fund.

 

C3's Earl Benjamin and Robert Benjamin will executive produce along with The Exchange CEO Brian O'Shea and Jeff Bowler.

 

Cameron Fay is repped by Paradigm, Kaplan/Perrone, and Lichter Grossman.