Oh, God!: According to Variety, Warner Brothers and Jerry Weintraub have closed a deal to cast comedian/talkshow host Ellen DeGeneres in their remake of the 1977 John Denver comedy Oh, God! DeGeneres is set to assail the title character, a role originated by legendary vaudevillian George Burns.

"Ellen is a strong comedienne and she has always done material about God and questions about God," said Weintraub. "She will help us with the writing, and using her will allow us to do a proper 2005 view of 'Oh God!' that is hip and modern."

Weintraub seved as the producer of the original Oh, God!, and its two sequels –-and has said that he himself could never quite figure out how to remake the film in a way that would flatter the original. But, he was recently approached by DeGeneres, and was rather impressed by her particular take on the material. An angle, that’s since received the blessing of both the original's director, Carl Reiner, and is writer Larry Gelbart.

The film is expected to begin shooting during DeGeneres' talkshow hiatus next summer.