Rob Zombie to Direct Groucho Marx Biopic

Shirley, You Jest: Jewish humor has always been associated with a generous use of sarcasm. Image by Getty Images

Marx Brothers and horror fans unite?

Rob Zombie, musician turned film director, will direct the film version of Raised Eyebrows (1996), a book focusing on the final years of Groucho Marx, . Oren Moverman will write the screenplay.

The story comes from author Steve Stoliar, who worked with Groucho Marx as his personal secretary and archivist starting when he was a student at UCLA. Over his years with Groucho, Stoliar also met the rest of the Marx brothers, as well as screen siren Mae West, George Burns, Bob Hope, Jack Lemmon, S.J. Perelman, Steve Allen, and others.

An odd choice for Zombie, most famously known for “House of 1000 Corpses,” two “Halloween” films, and “Lords of Salem.” Zombie told Deadline, “I have been a huge Groucho Marx fan ever since I was a child and have read countless books on the comic legend, but after reading the book Raised Eyebrows, a totally new perspective on Groucho’s life emerged.”

He added: “It is a sad, funny and very dark tale of one of Hollywood’s greatest stars’ final years.”