Jim Carrey Has Found His Love Interest
December 18, 2007

Ewan McGregor has signed to star in I Love You Phillip Morris with Jim Carrey, a controversial and long-in-development film that marks the directing debut of the writing team behind Bad Santa, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. I Love You Phillip Morris will be produced by Andrew Lazar of Mad Chance with Far Shariat and Luc Besson's EuropaCorp will fully finance with Luc getting an executive producer credit. I Love You Phillip Morris is based on the true story of a con man named Steven Russell, a role that Jim Carrey signed on for earlier this fall and a man who fell in love with his cellmate in a Texas prison, who will be played by Ewan McGregor. That's right. Ewan McGregor and Jim Carrey will star opposite each other in this oddball, romantic dark comedy.

After falling for Phillip Morris, Steven Russell tried to escape from prison four times, coming up with more and more elaborate plans, including once faking his own death. Morris was eventually released but Russell landed over a hundred years behind bars because of his escape attempts. The plot details and casting news are courtesy of today's Variety.

The script for I Love You Phillip Morris has been kicking around for a while and was written by Ficarra and Requa from a book by Houston Chronicle crime reporter Steve McVicker. Jim Carrey is currently playing multiple roles in Robert Zemeckis' latest motion-capture film, A Christmas Carol, and will move from that to I Love You Phillip Morris. McGregor just finished shooting The List.

Jim Carrey has had a rough couple years after an amazing decade of box office hits. His work in Fun with Dick and Jane and The Number 23 wasn't exactly his best, but he has finished shooting Horton Hears a Who!, which he hopes will find the same success as his huge The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Ewan McGregor will next be seen in Cassandra's Dream, the new Woody Allen pic with Colin Farrell.