The New ‘Magic Mike’? Ben Stiller Eyed for ‘Chippendales’ Movie

After the wild and crazy success of Steven Soderbergh's 'Magic Mike,' it doesn't surprise us in the slightest that a movie about the Chippendales dancers is in the works. It also doesn't surprise us that Alan Ball of HBO's 'True Blood' fame is writing and directing the project. What does surprise us is that Ben Stiller is being eyed for the lead in a movie about the world's most famous male strippers.

The news comes via Deadline, who describes 'I am Chippendales' as "a mix between 'Magic Mike' and 'Scarface.'" The film will chronicle the rise and fall of Chippendales founder Steve Banerjee, who became extraordinarily rich off the talents of his nightclub and stripping troupe, only to grow paranoid and hire a hitman to murder his choreographer. Stiller will take on the role of that choreographer.

While Stiller won't actually be playing a male stripper in the film, he will be playing the guy who teaches male strippers how to do their thing (a la Matthew McConaughey's Dallas). That means we may get sequences where Stiller takes it all off to show us how it's done. That will be, uh, a little weird. Stiller better contact Channing Tatum and ask about the best workout plan, if he officially enlists.

The project certainly sounds fascinating and the Oscar- and Emmy-winning Ball is a perfect match for this kind of lurid material. And while we may make fun of Stiller, he's a genuinely good actor when placed in the right project, and 'I Am Chippendales' sounds like a bold new step for him. Hopefully they'll hire an equally odd choice for Banerjee.