Sam Mendes Making Dave Eggers Comedy

If you've never had the pleasure of spending five or so minutes looking for an "unstuffy, blue skies" photo of Sam Mendes, try staring at a piece of gray construction paper until your eyes glaze over. At least this new, upcoming project sounds like a nice change of pace (color?) for the director of American Beauty, who hasn't been on auto-pilot since snagging Best Director in '99, but sometimes it feels that way. Mendes has signed on to helm an untitled comedy based on the script, "This Must Be the Place," by Vendela Vida and her husband, McSweeney's maestro Dave Eggers. And yes, the script fits, like a circle into a circle-shaped hole, into that oh-so '07 category of "unready for preggo, me laugh one day" movies.

Who's bringing the funny to the flesh? Well, Maya Rudolph (PTA's better half, SNL ethnic-role staple) and The Office's John Krasinki (so weird in Smiley Face), are attached like Velcro laces to star as a just-married couple searching for a proper place to pop out and raise a cute bebe. Filming is scheduled for March and it's parked at Focus Features.

Mendes's next film in theaters will be December's '50s set Revolutionary Road, starring Leonard DiCaprio and Mendes's wife, Kate Winslet, as a couple torn up by cheating and other drama igniting from that crazy, little sparkler called love.