Carrey and Burton to make big budget biopic

Jim and Tim are to bring the legendary newspaper column 'Ripley's Believe It Or Not' to the big screen.

Nov 29 2005

Jim Carrey and Tim Burton are to collaborate on a film based on the life of explorer and journalist Robert Ripley for Paramount Pictures.

The big budget biopic will revolve around the writer's efforts to find the most weird and wonderful oddities on the planet.

Named after his legendary newspaper column, 'Ripley's Believe It Or Not', the screenplay will be written by Larry Karaszewski and Scott Alexander, who previously worked with Burton on 'Ed Wood' and with Carrey on 'Man on the Moon'.

'It's great for both Jim and Tim,' Paramount's Brad Weston told Variety, 'Because it is a visual action-adventure setting, but a character with emotion, humanity and comedic sensibilities, all qualities Jim is best at.'

'Ripley's Believe It Or Not' will film in London next October and should be released by the end of 2007.

Before then, Carrey will be seen in 'Fun with Dick and Jane' (which hits UK screens on January 20), 'Number 23' (which Time Out covered here) and 'Used Guys' (more on that one here).