Russell Brand - Russell Brand Set To Revive Drop Dead Fred

Actor and comedian Russell Brand is to star in a remake of 1991 comedy Drop Dead Fred, it has been announced.

The film saw Phoebe Cates as a woman who loses her job and husband within her lunch hour and after returning to her family home is reunited with her anarchic childhood imaginary friend (played by Rik Mayall in the original).

Though it was a commercial and critical flop, Drop Dead Fred has attained cult classic status and is now set for a reboot from Universal Studios.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall star Brand will take the lead role as the havoc-causing fictional friend while Universal plan to introduce a look at the world of imaginary friends into the scenario.

Dennis McNicholas, one of the writers of the upcoming film adaptation of Land of the Lost, is to write the script for the Drop Dead Fred remake, according to the Hollywood Reporter, with Wanted's Marc Platt producing along with Working Title's Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner.

Brand was last seen in Adam Sandler family film Bedtime Stories and is set to star in a remake of 1981 comedy Arthur, a new film version of The Tempest and alongside Jonah Hill in rock comedy Get Him to the Greek.