Brett Ratner and Ben Stiller’s heist movie adds more ethnicity

Brett Ratner’s last heist movie starred Salma Hayek, Pierce Brosnan, Naomie Harris and Woody Harrelson. His new heist movie stars Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, Michael Peña (WORLD TRADE CENTER, OBSERVE AND REPORT) and PRECIOUS star Gabourey Sidibe. Hmmm.

Ratner’s TOWER HEIST revolves around a group of working stiffs (including the just-added Sidibe and Peña) “in a luxury high-rise and discover their pension funds have been drained by a Bernie Madoff-like Wall Street crook who is living under house arrest in the opulent penthouse apartment. Led by the building’s manager (Stiller), the employees figure out a way to use their knowledge of the building to rip him off.”

The Universal action-comedy, which spent years in development as a “black OCEAN’S ELEVEN” before Stiller came in and smacked the black off it, also features acting veteran Alan Alda as the oily broker villain (which might be the most interesting thing about it so far). The movie starts shooting next month.