Jason Lee a Chipmunk

Jason Lee, he of newfound “My Name is Earl” fame, has signed on to star in ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS, the live-action/CGI pic based on the popular cartoon characters. Lee will star as David Seville, the father figure/manager to the Chipmunks, who will be rendered in CGI. Whether the Chipmunks will look like chipmunks you and I know or like the characters themselves remains to be seen. The film is being directed by Tim Hill, the man behind another cartoon-to-CGI movie in GARFIELD 2. This is Lee’s second straight involvement in live-action/CGI remakes of cartoon classics after he’s lending his voice to this summer’s UNDERDOG. Not sure why Lee, who hit raunchy perfection in Kevin Smith’s movies and plays such a lovable lug in “Earl,” is such a fan of these family comedies but maybe it has something to do with STEALING HARVARD. Filming on CHIPMUNKS is set to begin this March with a December release planned (if it’s coming out later this year, I’m assuming some of the CGI is already being worked on?).