Molina, Cleese, Etc. to Star in The Pink Panther 2

Variety reports that Tony Award-nominee Alfred Molina and Spamalot co-creator John Cleese have been cast in The Pink Panther 2, the upcoming sequel to the hit Steve Martin film.

Joining Molina (Fiddler on the Roof, Art; Spider-Man 2, Cleese (Monty Python, A Fish Called Wanda) and Martin (as bumbling Inspector Clouseau) will be Andy Garcia, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer and Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai.  "Cleese will play chief inspector Dreyfus in the pic. Garcia, Molina and Rai have signed on as detectives and experts who join forces with Clouseau to catch the thief who has been stealing artifacts around the world," states the article.

The film, which is written by Scott Neustadter, Mike Weber, Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel and  Martin, will be directed by Harald Zwart and produced by Robert Simonds, with Ira Shuman as executive producer.  The Columbia Pictures/MGM film is slated to be released on February 13th, 2009.

The original The Pink Panther film, starring Peter Sellers and directed by Blake Edwards, was released in 1963.  The remake, which was released last year, earned $140 at the box office worldwide.

Photo of Alfred Molina by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.