I don't know why I think of Ving Rhames as a tough guy dramatic actor first and a comedic actor second. Even his most iconic role, as Marcellus Wallace in Pulp Fiction, was simply a straight-played comic part. Throughout his career he's been in a lot of comedies, from the truly awful (Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot) to the near-perfect (Out of Sight). But I guess lately, aside from the recent I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, he's been pigeon-holed as best-suited for crime thrillers, prison dramas and well-produced horror films, with an occasional fun action pic like the Mission:Impossible movies. Personally, I'd love him to do another movie that mixes all those genres with a touch of comedy, a la the guilty pleasure Con-Air, but I'll settle for just a comedy. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rhames has signed on to Paramount Vantage's The Goods: The Don Ready Story, which Monika told us recently will star Jeremy Piven as a used car salesman. Also joining the cast is Anchorman's David Koechner.

It wasn't mentioned what kind of characters Rhames and Koechner will be playing, but hopefully they're fellow used car salesmen working alongside Piven, who, more specifically, is a guy who must save the struggling dealership over a Fourth of July weekend. The most logical idea, though, is that whatever Rhames' role, he will be some combination of humor and muscle; the combination is one of the reasons that Rhames can do comedy and still retain his reputation as a bad ass, unlike some other people (please don't ever put Rhames in a babysitting comedy!). The comedy will be produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay via their new company Gary Sanchez Productions, along with Chris Henchy (Entourage) and Kevin Messick (A Lot Like Love). The script was written by Rick Stempson and Andy Stock, who also wrote the upcoming Seann William Scott movie Gary the Tennis Coach. It will be directed by Chappelle's Show actor/writer/director Neal Brennan.

Although he's spent the last four years co-starring on the television show Entourage, Jeremy Piven usually pops up in all sorts of movies. (Was Smokin' Aces part comedy?) Before that was Keeping Up with the Steins -- not so awesome -- but before that, well, he was in the well-beloved Old School. (Plus Weinberg tells me he's a scene-stealer in The Kingdom.) Now The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Piven will team up with School castmate Will Ferrell for a new comedy called The Goods: The Don Ready Story. Wait, before you imagine some Ricky Bobby or Ron Burgundy character, this flick ain't starring Ferrell -- it's all Piven's. This time around, Ferrell will stay behind the camera as producer under he and Adam McKay's Gary Sanchez Productions.

Ready will star Piven as "a used-car liquidator hired to save a struggling dealership during a Fourth of July weekend sale." Scribes Rick Stempson and Andy Stock wrote the script, but since their first project, Gary the Tennis Coach, doesn't come out until next year -- there's no telling how this will play out. The comedy will, however, be directed by Neal Brennan -- Half Baked writer and Chappelle's Show co-creator, which should mean good things for the flick. Now, considering the last handful of comedies to have names in the titles (many of which involved Ferrell), it'll be interesting to see which way this goes. While he's no stranger to comedy, Piven isn't so much of the strange and goofy. As long as this is nothing like Bruce Willis' Breakfast of Champions, we should be in good shape!