Warner Bros. have bought the rights to forgotten British children's comedy T.V. show
Rentaghost and have made plans to adapt the farcical show into a Beetlejuice-style, afterlife comedy for
Russell Brand. The BBC show ran from 1976-1984 and followed a number of ghosts who worked for a firm called Rentaghost, who rented the spirits out to the public. Kind of the reverse of
Ghostbusters. The WB film will follow Brand's Fred Mumford, a recently deceased slacker who sees an opportunity to be more productive in death as a ghost than he ever was alive, so he sets up this temp agency for the dead. Brand has spent this year making the
Arthur remake at WB with
Peter Baynham, so clearly if the studio are going around buying starring vehicle properties for the actor, it's gotta be a good sign for how that movie is coming together. Rentaghost then is being shopped to writers and it sounds like a good comedy concept for Brand, certainly a
Bill Murray-style film that in the right hands could be a major hit for the actor whose work in
Forgetting Sarah Marshall and
Get Him To The Greek I've enjoyed immensely. Speaking of Bill Murray/Ghostbusters - it's a shame the theme tune isn't quite as catchy... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT54Er0a7nQ