When last we read about Andy Dick, the comedian was ordered by a West Virginia judge to stand trial on felony sex abuse charges stemming from an altercation in a nightclub that took place last year. Today's news is significantly better for the outlandish NewsRadio star.

Dick has been cast alongside Crispin Glover, Christian Slater, Billy Burke and Michael Jai White in Freaky Deaky, director Charles Matthau’s adaptation of an Elmore Leonard book. Variety, which broke the news, doesn’t elaborate on Dick’s role in the comedy, which follows a bunch of ex-hippies as they try to blackmail a Hollywood producer.

But the casting of Dick falls in line with the offbeat casting choices that have been well documented for this still-in-development film. For starters, William H. Macy, Matt Dillon, Craig Robinson and Brendan Fraser previously were on the line for the lead roles in the film, only to be replaced by the likes of Glover and Slater. It’s not necessarily a lateral casting move, though it admittedly made more interesting, sight unseen.

Now the potential of Dick sharing scenes with equally unhinged actors like Glover and Slater makes Deaky damn near close to a must-see film. Leonard’s films have been converted into some entertaining films in the past, from Get Shorty and Out of Sight to Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown. Quite often it’s up to the director to get the most out of the novelist’s twisty, colorful brand of noir. We don’t know enough about Matthau yet--the actor-turned-director has only a few minor credits to his name. But his cast is shaping up to be bizarre in the best way. Let’s hope they help let Freaky Deaky live up to its tantalizing title.

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