We reported last March that Fox picked up the screen rights to a 1938 children's novel and now they may have found a director. Variety is reporting that Noah Baumbach is in talks to direct Mr. Popper's Penguins and Ben Stiller is in talks to star in the film.

The site reported that both Baumbach and Stiller are just in talks as of now and no deal has been reached yet. Sean Anders and John Morris (Sex Drive) were hired last year to write the script based off the book written by Richard and Florence Atwater.

The story revolves around the title character, a house painter whose real passion is exploring the Arctic, although he has no means to do so. After writing letters to real Arctic explorers, one of them sends him a penguin. When another female penguin arrives from the zoo, they mate and Popper now has 12 penguins on his hands. He forms a stage act with the penguins dubbed 'Popper's Performing Penguins' that goes on tour and features the animals causing mayhem at every stop.

No production schedule has been set for the film. Baumbach currently directs Stiller in the new film Greenberg, playing in theaters now.