Take a rubber-faced A-list comedy star, one serious thesp and a small mammal puppet, and it sounds like you've got a movie. At least it does today, with rumour having it that Jim Carrey attached to star in and Jodie Foster seriously considering directing The Beaver.

The slightly odd-sounding premise is actually a character piece about a man who becomes reliant on his beaver hand puppet for company, ascribing human emotions to the toy like a live action Mr Garrison from South Park. But the script, written by Kyle Killen, has been picking up plenty of interest with the original leading man set to be Steve Carrell, and now looking like Jim Carrey.

Also in the frame was director Jay Roach. However, it now looks like this has fallen through and Carrey will not sign to the movie - along the same tonal lines as Lars and the Real Girl - unless they have a director in place.

And among the directors being considered is Foster, who is picking up the art of helming again after making a few movies in the 90s, including  Little Man Tate and Home for the Holidays.

Carrey has been busy making the festive period come early with Disney's A Christmas Carol, out this year, and getting some man love with Ewan McGregor in I Love You Philip Morris. He is also set to take on the mantle of Curly in The Three Stooges later in 2009.

So, does Jim Carrey and Jodie Foster's The Beaver sound like a quirky classic in the making? And let's try to keep the comments clean, eh?