John Landis is a legend in the world of comedy and comedy/horror having directed such classics as Animal House, The Blues Brothers (one of my all time favorites) and An American Werewolf in London. The director’s next project is called Burke and Hare and will be a dark comedy based around the exploits of two real-life serial killers.

From MTV -

The project has been in development for a short while, but horror site Dread Central has just learned first-hand from Landis that casting has begun. First to come aboard is Simon Pegg of “Shaun of the Dead,” says Landis.

It wasn’t revealed who Pegg will be playing, though I’m fairly certain he’ll be portraying one of the title characters. William Burke and William Hare infamously went on a murdering spree in Edinburgh, Scotland in the 1820s. The duo then sold their victims — 17 of them — to the Edinburgh Medical College for dissection.

The premise and setting make me think this would have been more perfect for a “Shallow Grave”-era Danny Boyle, but those Landis fans who enjoy his horror comedy “An American Werewolf in London” ought to be ecstatic that he’s involved in such a potentially silly film. Expect the gore quotient to be pretty low however, as the killers were known for smothering their victims. Meanwhile, appreciators of the old Ealing Studios black comedies like “Kind Hearts and Coronets” and “The Ladykillers” should be excited for the company’s connection to this movie.

I am a huge fan of Landis’ movies and his Masters of Horror episodes weren’t bad either, so I am already sold on this concept. Add to that the casting of Simon Pegg as one of the leads, a role he has admirably performed in both Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, and hopefully we have ourselves a winner.

As an aside, Landis will be attending a screening of An American Werewolf in London on Friday 28th of August as part of the FrightFest film festival (which I will be attending) so grab yourself a ticket and you might be able to talk to the man himself.