Unless you’re 30-years-old or over, it’s unlikely you’ll remember RENTAGHOST, but it remains a nostalgic favoruite for generation of Brits. The BBC show ran from 1976-84 and centred on the recently-deceased Fred Mumford (Anthony Jackson), who recruits fellow ghosts and rents them out for various tasks (obviously). The cast included a number of different ghosts – such as a jester, a witch, a Victorian gentleman – and Jackson’s role was replaced by different characters after he left the show in 1979. The new owners – Harold and Ethel Meaker – would go on to run the Rentaghost business for another five years.
There has been talk of a big-screen version of the show for some years, with RENTAGHOST fan Russell Brand attached at one point. Now reports have surfaced that the project will be helmed by MADAGASCAR-director Tom McGrath, who will make his live-action debut. 20th Century Fox will be hoping for a repeat success from McGrath, who has so far raked in $500 million with his animated series. MADAGASCAR’S leading man Ben Stiller will apparently star. Expect NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM-style shenanigans.
Source: Variety
