Ben Stiller is assembling quite the cast for his remake of the 1947 comedy The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  Stiller is directing and starring in the pic, which centers on a LIFE Magazine proofreader who, incapable of standing up for himself in the real world, retreats to a fantasy where he becomes his poised, confident opposite.  Kristen Wiig, Shirley MacLaine, Patton Oswalt, Adam Scott and Kathryn Hahn are all set to star, and now Deadline reports that Sean Penn is in talks to appear in a small yet pivotal role as a photographer.

This is Stiller’s first directorial effort since 2008’s smash hit Tropic Thunder, and I’m really excited about the cast that he’s put together.  Not only is every actor a terrific comedian, but they all have proven dramatic chops as well.  Penn will be seen later this year in Ruben Fleischer’s (Zombieland) period crime drama The Gangster Squad and he’s being courted to star in one Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Flim-Flam Man and The Revenant.  Production on Walter Mitty begins soon in New York and Iceland.