Brand 'working on Arthur remake'

Brand would star in the role originally played by Dudley Moore

Comedian Russell Brand is developing a remake of the 1981 film Arthur, according to industry newspaper the Hollywood Reporter.

Brand would also star as the lead in the movie, which saw Dudley Moore originally nominated for an Oscar in the role.

John Gielgud, who played his butler, won the best supporting actor Oscar.

The film tells of a drunken playboy forced to choose between an heiress or the working-class girl he loves.

It also gave Steve Gordon, the film's writer-director, an Oscar nomination and the movie's theme song, The Best That You Can Do, won for original song.

Brand, who starred in the St Trinian's movie last year, first came to the attention of US audiences in the comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall where he stole the show as a rock star lothario.

The comedian resigned from his Radio 2 show in October following lewd phone calls he made with presenter Jonathan Ross to Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs.