Over two years ago, Erik mentioned a new musical on the way called Bob: The Musical. At the time, it was described as a film about "a mild-mannered man who suddenly hears the 'inner song' of people's hearts after being struck in the head." The description was vague enough that the project could easily slide into good or bad territory. However, the fact that John August, Marc Shaiman and Mark Waters were writing the feature helped matters.

And now Parenthood scribes Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel are getting their hand at the script according to The Hollywood Reporter. (It has also been worked on by Mike Bender, who penned the original pitch, Jon Lucas, and Scott Moore.) But the real improvement is the story, or at least, how they're describing it. The film will focus on a thirty-something guy named Bob "who hates musicals and wakes up to find his entire life has become one."

That's got to really suck. I wonder if it's the sort of musical where everyone suddenly becomes awesome singers, or if it will have a Joss Whedon twist and be mixed with good and bad singers? Whatever the case, I'm sold.

No, it isn't April Fools Day yet. Now hearing this news, that The Rock was going to be the Tooth Fairy, led me to Bad Santa visions. Or, maybe a bit role in some weird dream sequence -- all the fairy tale people played by muscle-rippling ex-wrestlers. Then again, The Rock is pretty big on his feel-good roles, so it could just be straight up tooth saving -- and that's just what it seems to be. Variety reports that Dwayne Johnson is going to star in an upcoming project called The Tooth Fairy for 20th Century Fox. And these are the pens behind it -- Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel, plus Joshua Sternin & Jeffrey Ventimilia. Ganz and Mandel wrote Splash (Oscar nom), Spies Like Us, Parenthood, City Slickers...

If you're wondering how on earth The Rock could play the dainty, tooth-sneaking fairy, I have two words for you: Michael Lembeck. That not enough? He's the director behind the second and third sequels of The Santa Clause. To top that off, the Variety description goes right along with any logical assumptions made, based on Lembeck: "Johnson will play an ordinary man who's brought in to try to save the tooth fairy kingdom."

Does that mean he won't become the fairy and just help the fairy keep her kingdom, or are they about to get really progressive and slowly morph the beefy star into the petite dental icon of our youth? Production will begin this August.

Growing up, Steve Martin was my favorite comedic actor, no contest. The Jerk, All of Me, The Man With Two Brains, Three Amigos!, Little Shop of Horrors, Roxanne, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Parenthood, LA Story, Father of the Bride, Bowfinger...you'd be hard pressed to find someone who's appeared in as many modern classic comedies. And he's obviously still a hilarious man (anyone see him on Letterman last night?). That is why his recent career path is so troubling to me. I can't fault the guy for wanting to make big lazy blockbuster family movies, and obviously there are people who enjoy them. I just wish that one of the greatest comedic minds in film history would take some more chances in his twilight years. I love his novels (read The Pleasure of My Company ASAP), and I adored the film version of Shopgirl, I sincerely hope he can bring us more interesting material like that.

But for right now, we're stuck with Pink Panther 2. Variety has announced the supporting cast, and I must say, it's pretty impressive. The great John Cleese is playing Inspector Dreyfus (perfect casting), memorably brought to life by Herbert Lom in the Peter Sellers films. Also on board are Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, and "The Queen of Bollywood" Aishwarya Rai, often referred to as "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World." The three will play "detectives and experts who join forces with Clouseau to catch the thief who has been stealing artifacts around the world." In addition to the new gang, Jean Reno and Emily Mortimer are returning to their roles. Pink Panther 2 was written by no less than five screenwriters: first-timers Scott Neustadter and Mike Weber, big-time comedy scribes Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel (Splash, Parenthood, City Slickers), and Martin himself. Shawn Levy directed the 2006 Pink Panther, Harald Zwart (One Night at McCool's, Agent Cody Banks) will helm this one. Look for Pink Panther 2 just in time for Valentine's Day -- February 13, 2009.

Let me get this right out of the way -- I chose not to watch The Pink Panther (remake, was it?) when it hit theaters back in 2006. As a major fan of comedy, the original Panther flicks directed by Blake Edwards and featuring Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau are, in my mind, comedic masterpieces (with A Shot in the Dark being my favorite). From time to time I'll take in the occasional remake (and, more often, sequel), but there are some films I refuse to go near. Not because they look bad, or because people tell me they're bad -- I choose not watch them simply because I don't want the film to tarnish the awesome feelings I associate with the original work. Thus, I stayed far away from The Pink Panther (starring Steve Martin), so I will not use this space to rip apart a film I did not see.

Instead, I'll bring you news (via The Hollywood Reporter) that Harald Zwart has been tapped to direct The Pink Panther 2 for Columbia Pictures and MGM. The good news? Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel were brought on to rewrite the script; these are the two responsible for gems like Gung Ho, City Slickers and Parenthood. So, knowing they're involved should help boost some confidence. Zwart was the man behind Agent Cody Banks and One Night at McCool's, but let's not hold that against him. Steve Martin will once again return to play Inspector Clouseau, and this time it appears he teams up with a bunch of moronic European detectives to try to stop a massive crime wave. No word on a release date, but the powers that be are eying an August production start.

In the immortal words of a certain fictional, pirate radio DJ, "All the great themes have been used up and turned into theme parks." While that isn't exactly the case, the woes of over-used ideas and superfluous sequels are as common as salty fries and tube socks. However, as much as we bitch and bemoan the state of originality in Hollywood, there are masses who don't care and are more than happy to patronize shlock. I don't know one person who actually liked the Pink Panther remake, and Rotten Tomatoes has it at a paltry 24% -- and even many of the positive ones recognize the film's lack. However, according to Box Office Guru, the flick slipped its way into the top half of 2006's Top 50 at 24.

Reviews mean nothing when there is money to be made, and obviously they will try for another Top 25 spot with a Pink Panther sequel. Newcomers Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber had penned the return of Inspector Clouseau, but now Columbia pictures is looking for a re-write and has grabbed Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. The pair is responsible for the likes of classics such as Splash and Spies Like Us, as well as more current fare like Robots and Fever Pitch. They've also dipped their hands into the re-writing pool a number of times, sprucing up the likes of 50 First Dates and The Notebook. That bodes well for the film, but is it enough to keep you from asking: "Why?"

Odds and ends for Friday:

• Looks like someone has taken a liking to playing the villain. After taking on the Man of Steel's arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor, Kevin Spacey is now attached to a role that will pit him against yet another beloved character -- Santa Claus. Spacey will star opposite Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti in Joe Claus (previously titled Fred Claus), to be directed by Wedding Crashers helmer David Dobkin. As we reported previously, story will revolve around Santa's (Giamatti) bitter older brother (Vaughn) who heads back to the North Pole in order to redeem himself.
• Aww, there's nothing more inspiring than a story about a man and his beloved dog. Jeff Bridges has signed up to star in A Dog Year for HBO Films, to be distributed by Picturehouse. Pic will tell of a man going through a mid-life crisis who has his life turned upside down after taking in a dog that's nuttier than him. I'm game for almost anything Bridges is in, so long as Tim Allen doesn't wind up playing the part of the dog.
• Damn, remember when losing a tooth would net you one, maybe two dollars? However, in order to obtain that money, you were forced to place the tooth under your pillow and listen to stories about a magical fairy arriving at some point during the night. Well, now I understand why she never shelled out more money. That woman was holding out and, with the help of 20th Century Fox, just cashed in on a massive pay day. For a little under $2 million, Fox picked up the pitch (based off a 17-page treatment)  titled, The Tooth Fairy. The script will be written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, based off Jim Piddick's concept. The plot is being kept under wraps, but one can assume it has something to do with the stock market -- er, I mean the tooth fairy.