It’s a good time to be Russell Brand. First, he starred in Get Him To the Greek, one of the funniest movies of the summer. Next, he announced his engagement to the gorgeous pop star Katy Perry.

Now Deadline reports that the British funnyman has just signed on to star as a Renaissance-era swordsman in the action-comedy Hawkwood.

Thus far, most of Brand’s Hollywood roles have consisted of variations on the same theme: drunken lout. He played the drunken lout Aldous Snow in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and then reprised the role for Greek. He’s also currently shooting a remake of Dudley Moore’s Arthur, in which he plays Arthur, a drunken lout.

But the interestingly-coiffed star is starting to spread his wings and explore his theatrical options. He’s already filmed Julie Taymor’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, in which he plays Trinculo and after Arthur, he’ll provide the voice for the son of the Easter Bunny in the animated comedy Hop.

But Hawkwood is a character near and dear to the comic’s heart as he was the one who got the ball rolling on the project at Fox. The real-life John Hawkwood was a master swordsman and a soldier-for-hire back in the 14th century.

Production on Hawkwood will likely begin once Arthur wraps and Brand has married his California Gurl.

(Photo by PR Photos)

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