Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet is set to play silent film star Fatty Arbuckle in an HBO movie.
The project, titled The Day the Laughter Stopped, is being written by Kirk Ellis with Barry Levinson on board to direct. The script will be based on the book by author David A. Yallop.
Arbuckle was a silent film star that rose to fame in the early 1900s. He mentored Charile Chaplin and discovered Buster Keaton and Bob Hope.
In 1921, he was accused of the rape and accidentally killing of actress Virginia Rappe. He was tried three times but was never found guilty. After that, his work became less frequent. At one point his films were even banned.
In 1932 he began a successful comeback, which he briefly enjoyed before his death in 1933.
The HBO film would cover his rise and fall.
