Richard Dreyfuss played Duddy, James Woods was Joshua (from the novel Joshua Then and Now), and now actor Paul Giamatti “ best known for his starring roles in Sideways and American Splendor “ is set to play Barney Panofsky, the curmudgeonly protagonist of Mordecai Richler’s 1997 Giller Prize-winning novel Barney’s Version. Reportedly, the $28-million production will hit theatres sometime in 2010. From The Globe and Mail:

After years of rewrites, Toronto producer Robert Lantos has finally green lit the script for a big screen adaptation of the late Mordecai Richler’s Barney’s Version, and has signed Emmy-winner Paul Giamatti to play the lead.

The multimillion-dollar production, written by Michael Konyves and directed by Richard J. Lewis, is slated to begin shooting this summer in Montreal, New York and Rome.