Myers Leaves Mind to Stiller

December 11, 2000 -- If one man's junk really is another man's treasure, Ben Stiller may soon be rolling in Mike Myers' riches. Funnyman Myers has given Confessions of a Dangerous Mind the gong, but Meet the Parents co-star Stiller may be replacing him in the wacky true story about oddball game show host Chuck Barris.

Myers apparently dropped out of Confessions in order to narrow down his pre-actors' strike possibilities, of which the 10th Pink Panther flick is said to be priority No. 1. Variety notes that Stiller is in talks to portray Gong Show host Barris, whose biography of the same name cheekily claimed that he was actually a CIA hit man.

Dangerous Mind still has no director, though X-Men helmer Bryan Singer is said to be the first choice. The film previously had directors P.J. Hogan (My Best Friend's Wedding) and David Fincher (Fight Club) in the running, while leading men George Clooney, Kevin Spacey, and Sean Penn were all said to be eyeing the Barris role.

Stiller is currently directing and starring in the fashion biz comedy Zoolander and will next appear in Rushmore director Wes Anderson's ensemble laffer The Royal Tenenbaums. He's also committed to making a sequel to his box-office smash Meet the Parents, which is currently being written, Variety reports.

Production on Dangerous Mind is due to start in February or March. Being John Malkovich scribe Charlie Kaufman is in charge of adapting the memoir.