John Oliver To Star In Terry Jones' Comedy 'Absolutely Everything'; Robin Williams and Ex-Pythons May Co-Star

For a man who’s directed two stone-cold comedy classics in the shape of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and “Monty Python and the Life of Brian,” it’s surprising that Terry Jones hasn’t directed more. He has a mere six features to his name in 30 years, the most recent being the decent live-action version of “The Wind in the Willows” in 1996. But now, nearly 15 years on, the former Monty Python member is set to make a high-profile return to the director’s chair.

Deadline reports that Phoenix Pictures have picked up a script from Jones and co-writer Gavin Scott (“Small Soldiers”) titled “Absolutely Everything,” which will go before cameras next spring with Jones set to direct. The plot is being kept under wraps, but it apparently includes “aliens, a goofy Brit, a talking dog and buckets of silliness.”

British comedian John Oliver, best known for “The Daily Show” and “Community,” is locked into the lead role, while discussions have begun for Robin Williams to voice the role of ‘Dennis the Dog.’ Perhaps most significantly, Jones is also after his former Monty Python colleagues John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle and Terry Gilliam to voice the aliens in the film; if it comes off, it’ll be the first time all five surviving Pythons will have reunited in the same film project since 1983’s “The Meaning Of Life.”

It’s early, but considering the wealth of people with funny bones in the project, the script’s got to have a few laughs in it, right? Although it remains to be seen if anyone will actually go and see the thing: this kind of comedy hasn’t been in vogue for a while. We’ll find out some time in 2012, we imagine…