...as a Hollywood blockbuster

Seventies children’s TV series RentaGhost is to be turned into a big-budget Hollywood film starring Russell Brand.

The comic will play Fred Mumford, a newly-dead slacker who wants to be more productive in the afterlife, so sets up a temp agency hiring out other spirits.

Warner Bros has acquired the rights to the BBC1 comedy show and is said to be developing the idea into a Beetlejuice-style comedy.

The original series ran on BBC1 from 1976 to 1984. Anthony Jackson played Mumford and the cast also included Michael Staniforth as Timothy Claypole, Molly Weir as Hazel the McWitch and Coronation Street’s Sue Nicholls as Nadia Popov.

Kevin McCormick, whose credits range from Saturday Night Fever to Brand’s imminent Arthur remake, will produce the film, industry website Deadline reports.

Here are the opening credits from the original series:

Published: 9 Dec 2010