‘Madagascar’ Director to Helm Ben Stiller’s ‘Rentaghost’

20th Century Fox has tapped Tom McGrath to direct their picture 'Rentaghost,' which has Ben Stiller as the lead. It probably wouldn't be as notable if 'John Carter' had been a success, but it's likely that people will be keeping an eye on former animation director McGrath as he transitions into feature filmmaking.

McGrath is best known for co-directing the 'Madagascar' franchise and is the voice of the lead penguin Skipper, and helmed 'Megamind' by himself. This points out that he's had experience working with Ben Stiller, though it's also possible that Stiller spent less time voicing his character for the 'Madagscar' trilogy than most actors spend on one feature film.

The project was originally conceived as a Russell Brand vehicle, and the script comes from Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant, who wrote a book about writing crappy comedies for hire, like 'A Night at the Museum,' which also starred Ben Stiller.

As  Variety tells us the film is based on a BBC childrens' comedy that "centers on a recently deceased 27-year-old man who, determined to be more productive in the afterlife, creates RentaGhost, leasing ghouls, ghosts and other specters to the living." We're curious to see if 'The Watch' could kill this project if it tanks, but the project now has a director, which means things could falling into place regardless.