I used to love The Storyteller. John Hurt was always awesome, sharing old folk tales and legends with help from Jim Henson’s creations. Michael Gambon made a decent replacement when the series moved into Greek mythology, just like he has with Harry Potter’s Dumbledore. Unfortunately The Storyteller making the news today has nothing to do with Hurt, Gambon, or Jim Henson studios, but mentioning the old show seemed like the natural introduction anyway.

The Storyteller being reported on today by HR is more of a suspense piece and will star Wes Bentley (who recently terrorized the low parking levels of P2) as a writer who starts to unravel after his father’s death. As his sanity starts to deteriorate, his assistant starts to investigate whether the writer’s muse and narrator is real or evidence of his dementia.

As interested as I am to see Bentley playing another wacked-out character, this project could be quickly made or undone with the casting of former American Idol contestant (let’s remember – she didn’t win), Katharine McPhee. That’s right. McPhee is going from the girly comedy of The House Bunny (playing second fiddle to Anna Faris) to this psychological thriller. That’s not exactly the best starting place for a wanna-bee actress, which makes me worry that The Storyteller might suffer.