According to Variety, Rob Schneider will star in and make his directorial debut with comedy Big Stan for Crystal Sky Pictures and Silver Nitrate Pictures. He's also producing.

Big Stan, from an original screenplay by Josh Lieb ("The Simpsons"), concerns a weak and nebbishy con man who panics when he learns he's going to prison for fraud. He hires a mysterious martial arts guru, who transforms him into a kung fu expert who can fight off inmates who want to hurt him -- and love him.

Schneider, star of the "Deuce Bigalow" films, will appear in Sony Pictures' upcoming "The Benchwarmers," set for release in April.