Ben Stiller reportedly lines up his first lead role in six years in a new comedy from Blumhouse's Exorcist sequel director David Gordon Green.

Ben Stiller is starring in the upcoming David Gordon Green directed film Nutcrackers, a story about discovering a family. In addition to leading the film, Stiller will produce through his Red Hour Films studio.

Written by Leland Douglas, Nutcrackers follows the work-obsessed Mike (Stiller), who must reluctantly travel to rural Ohio to look after his four rambunctious nephews after their parents die in a car accident. What begins as a three-day trip to find foster care turns into weeks of farm-life mayhem - and the realization that he doesn't need to find them a home, they've found one for him.

Stiller’s last lead role came in 2017 as the protagonist in the film Brad’s Status from writer and director Mike White. Stiller didn’t abandon acting completely, though. He appeared in the fifth season of Arrested Development, Hubie Halloween and Locked Down, but these were all much smaller roles.

While David Gordon Green has devoted the last 5 years of his career to resurrecting classic horror franchises, Nutcrackers seems to find him back in familiar ground. Green has previously directed the affecting Jake Gyllenhaal drama Stronger as well as stoner comedy Pineapple Express.

Source: Press Release