Sacha Baron Cohen to stare at goats in next film?

While rumors spread that Sacha Baron Cohen might be considering THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY, there’s another project Cohen is working on that’s a higher priority. Cohen and writers Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer, and David Mandel pitched at least six studios on his next comedy this week with Paramount ultimately winning the bidding war. So what exactly was the film that had almost everyone in Hollywood wanting to participate?

There’s no title (yet) and details are scarce but it would reportedly star Cohen in a comedy as a goat herder. This isn’t something like BORAT or BRUNO and would be scripted, “straight-ahead” film. Berg, Schaffer and Mandel (veterans of “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm”) would write the script along with Cohen.

Slightly amusing is the tale of how Paramount beat out Sony Pictures for the rights to the deal. They actually rented a goat, put a Paramount t-shirt on it and had it delivered to the offices of William Morris Endeavor, who’s repping the deal. Despite the fact the goat took a dump in the offices (true story), it was apparently enough to convince Cohen and his crew that they are serious about the movie.

Right now the project still exists only as a pitch and the four principals would need to get to work on the script. Cohen will begin work on Martin Scorsese’s THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET this summer and this project would likely be his next film.