For a moment it looked as if Russell Brand would be starring in a movie called IHOP, which presumably was the chance for the pancakes chain to jump in on some of that movie-branding cash. But the actual movie, in which Brand plays a slacker who becomes an assistant to the Easter Bunny, sounds almost as bizarre. In some kind of cross between a buddy comedy and The Santa Clause, Brand's character hits the Easter Bunny with his car, and then is forced to save Easter while the mythical creature convalesces.

Variety says it'll be a family comedy, which is a big change of pace for the foul-mouthed sex machine British comedian. Tim Hill, who graced the world with Alvin and the Chipmunks, will direct this one as another live-action/CGI hybrid. Russell Brand's career is extremely puzzling; he seems to be jumping straight from the "young, exciting comic" phase to the "doing family movies for cash" phase, whereas it took Eddie Murphy years to get there. Is I Hop secretly subversive and hilarious, or is Brand's rock-star living catching up with him already?