Rob Zombie may not seem like the obvious choice for a movie based on the last years in the life of comic actor and icon Groucho Marx. Best — and only — known for his dark horror films, Zombie has actually been a fan of the Marx brothers for most of his life, and while his horror output has been divisive, he could very well surprise his detractors with his upcoming biopic based on Steve Stoliar’s memoir.

Deadline reports that Zombie is set to direct the film, based on the book Raised Eyebrows: My Years Inside Groucho’s House. Stoliar was a huge fan of Groucho Marx, and his book tells of his time working as the Marx brother’s archivist and personal assistant in the latter years of his life. During his time living and working with Marx, Stoliar got to know his idol very well, and met many famous people of the day, including Marx’s brothers Zeppo and Gummo, Bob Hope, Mae West and Jack Lemmon. But he also saw a more unfortunate side of things in his dealings with Erin Fleming, the woman essentially in charge of Groucho Marx’s life.

Zombie is currently working on the horror film 31, which centers on a group of five people who are kidnapped on Halloween and trapped in a psychotic fun house known as Murder World. He’s previously directed the films House of 1000 Corpses and its more beloved sequel The Devil’s Rejects, as well as a Halloween remake and sequel. More recently, he helmed the witchy horror flick Lords of Salem.

But Zombie has non-horror aims, too, and has long been developing Broad Street Bullies, a film based on the notoriously fight-prone Philadelphia Flyers hockey team.

The Groucho Marx biopic was scripted by Oren Moverman, who co-wrote the recent and acclaimed Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy. So that’s a start.

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