LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Tom Cruise and Ben Stiller are teaming up for "Hardy Men," a buddy action comedy based on the fictional teen sleuths known as the Hardy Boys.

The long-in-development project sees the Hardy Boys grown up but not speaking to each other, having been estranged for many years. They are forced to overcome sibling rivalry when they reunite to solve a mystery.

Shawn Levy is attached to direct the film for 20th Century Fox, which is hoping for a shoot in 2008. The project is out to writers. Stiller and Levy are stars on the Fox lot thanks to their collaboration on the holiday hit "Night at the Museum," which has earned more than $230 million at the domestic box office to date.


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"The Hardy Boys" was a long-running book series that began in 1927 and was written by various ghost writers under the pen name Franklin W. Dixon. The series focused on two teenage brothers, Frank and Joe Hardy, amateur detectives who often assisted their father, a private detective, in solving crimes.

"Hardy Men": Cruise, Stiller take on "Boys
The original series, which ran through 1979, encompassed 58 books, many of which were updated over the years. There also were subsequent book series as well as graphic novels and comic books.

In addition, the two brothers have appeared in several TV incarnations. Tim Considine and Tommy Kirk played the siblings on episodes of "The Mickey Mouse Club" in 1956 and '57. Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy handled the title roles in an ABC primetime series "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries," which ran from 1977-79.

Cruise and Stiller previously teamed up to shoot a behind-the-scenes spoof of "Mission: Impossible II" for the MTV Movie Awards.

Thats...odd casting.

Also, isn't the plot basically the same as the Scooby-Doo movie?

Any point in using the Hardy Boys franchise to launch a comedy film? Seems a waste and totally unnecessary.

What Jeff said. And does the world really need a movie with Tom Cruise and Ben Stiller in it?

That's just odd. I will forget I ever heard of this.

I call bullshit.

What you don't believe the hindustan times?

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_ ... 030002.htm

Worst idea ever.

At last....the world is ready for my "Charles Brown" pilot.

Stiller did an awesome Tom Cruise on a Celebrity Jeopardy.

He also did a dead-on Cruise for "The Ben Stiller Show" where they did a take-off of A Few Good Men if the Marines were the Boy Scouts.

Where have you gone Shaun Cassidy & Parker Stevenon? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you! (Woo hoo hoo)

Bleah. Wasn't Parker Stevenson "The Big One" according to Kirstie Alley?

Good one! LOL!

Ahhhhh.... no.

Worse than Bewitched?

It's hit Variety, so it's legit. Sorry, Frank.

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Hey, that was pretty damned funny! Maybe I should finally look into seeing THE BEN STILLER SHOW after all. How did Stiller get Cruise to agree to play himself in that sketch? Cruise almost comes off as having a good sense of humor.

Putting in my vote for Jessica Simpson as Nancy Drew.

Or Paris Hilton.

THE BEN STILLER SHOW is great. He also did a great "Tom Cruise Does Broadway" sketch that was pretty darn funny.