The Boston Globe is reporting that the role of Larry in the Farrelly Brothers’ Three Stooges movie, originally set to star Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, and Jim Carrey, until Sean Penn pulled the kind of selfish dick move that is his trademark, will be filled by Paul Giamatti.

In town this week to see Paul McCartney play at Fenway, Peter Farrelly told us that Paul Giamatti has signed on to replace Sean Penn as Larry. Playing Moe will be Benicio Del Toro, one Hollywood’s biggest “Three Stooges” fans. Still to be cast is Curly. There had been reports that Jim Carrey would utter Curly’s signature “n’yuk, n’yuk, n’yuk,” but it’s not so.

Jim Carrey dropping out makes sense, but it’s strange that Paul Giamatti would jump in as Larry.  What basically happened was Penn dropped out, then a bunch of people said “Hey, what about Paul Giamatti?  He’s weird looking and bald.”  Then someone asked Giamatti about it and he said [via /Film]:

“They were always so dark and grim. And Moe was this ancient man with a little boy’s haircut. But Larry? I don’t get Larry. He’s strange. He’s sort of the blank guy in the middle.”

So maybe he had a change of heart.  Or maybe Peter Farrelly was just drunk.  Or maybe we’re all just figments of Tom Cruise’s coma fantasy, what am I, a wizard?  Anyway, I don’t see this movie happening.  I love the stooges, but the Farrellys haven’t made a good movie in a long time, and comedy doesn’t really age well (in fact, the latter may explain the former).  If they want to get this made, they’re gonna have to change the source to a graphic novel and Larry and Curly to two warring factions of vampires.