Veteran comic Steve Martin will soon be donning his trenchcoat and reaching for his magnifying glass after being named as the new Inspector Clouseau. The actor is to star in a remake of 1964's classic Pink Panther, in which a bumbling Peter Sellers sets out to catch a devious jewel thief.
In the original movie, the inept investigator wreaked a trail of destruction as he tried to catch "the Phantom", played by David Niven. The riotous comedy was so popular that it spawned a series of sequels, with Clouseau bringing mayhem to all corners of the globe.
Since Peter Seller's death in 1980, the bungling French detective has also been portrayed by Sir Roger Moore, in The Curse Of The Pink Panther, and Alan Arkin, in Inspector Clouseau. Insiders at MGM studios have revealed that Kevin Spacey and Mike Myers were both considered for the new film, but it was Steve who eventually won out.
It has yet to be decided who will play the sleuth's karate-chopping sidekick Kato or the angst-ridden Inspector Dreyfuss. But both characters are sure to have their work cut out when the inimitable Monsieur Clouseau gets to work.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
