Chris Columbus in Talks to Direct Ripley's

Paramount is negotiating with Chris Columbus to direct its long-gestating Ripley's Believe It or Not!, reports Variety. 

Jim Carrey is still set to star as newspaper columnist-explorer Robert Ripley. 

After being unplugged months before a 2007 production start in China with Tim Burton at the helm, Ripley's Believe It or Not! is getting a complete overhaul, based on a concept that Columbus pitched. Both Paramount and Carrey sparked to it, and the China-based storyline will be scrapped. 

Once Columbus' deal is closed, the studio will hire a writer to draft the project, which remains a Paramount priority: The studio is aiming for a 2011 release and is hoping the film spawns a franchise.