Quentin Tarantino turned John Travolta’s entire career around with a memorable role in “Pulp Fiction,” and now he’s lending a similar hand to Mike Myers. According to Variety, the comedian who packed them in with the “Austin Powers” series and is the voice of the world famous green ogre “Shrek,” is set to join the cast of the director’s WWII thriller, “Inglorious Bastards.”

No, this isn’t some bizarre revamp of Myers character Fat Bastard from the “Powers” films. Instead, Tarantino’s long-awaited drama will find Myers playing British General Ed Fenech, a military genius who helps devise a plan to take out a number of Nazi leaders. He’ll join an already intriguing cast that includes Brad Pitt, Eli Roth (the “Hostel” director), B.J. Novak (the latest breakout star of “The Office”) and another Tarantino comeback candidate, Nastassja Kinski (“Cat People”).

While it’s unclear how dramatic “Bastards” will be in tone, this isn’t the first time Myers has stepped out of his over-the-top comedy comfort zone. In fact, he was one of the few actors to receive strong reviews in the 1998 drama “54.” And that’s a big compliment considering what a mess that misfire was.

Still, this role couldn’t come at a better time. After the disappointing returns for this summer’s “The Love Guru,” the industry was questioning whether Myers could succeed at anything but the International Man of Mystery. And rumor had it that the failure of “Guru” had Myers working on putting “Austin Powers 4” on the fast track. It’s still anyone’s guess if and when that will occur, but, happily, “Bastards” will keep him busy once production begins Oct. 15 in Germany.

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