Tom McGrath is best known in the filmmaking world for his work on DreamWorks ‘toons such as the Madagascar trilogy and Megamind, though he might be more recognizable to part of their target audience as the voice of Skipper the penguin. Now it seems he’s ready to try his hand at live action comedy, entering talks to direct Rentaghost for Fox.

McGrath’s considering the idea is not a huge leap when you remember that Ben Stiller signed on to star last autumn. Given their prior working relationship on Madagascar, it’s easy to see why they might want to collaborate here.

It’s just one more Stiller co-worker to add to a list that already includes Night At The Museum writers Tom Lennon and Robert Ben Garant, who have adapted the current script from the kids’ comedy about the dysfunctional paranormal agency that ran here in the 1970s and ‘80s.

We’re not sure how the cheekily surreal style will survive the transition to a big-budget American studio comedy, but if McGrath does end up calling the shots, we’d be a little more confident.