Paul Reubens confirmed that the Pee-wee Herman movie that's apparently been in some sort of development for about 4 years, may finally be going ahead. Reubens is said to be collaborating with Judd Apatow on the project though he told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that a serious announcement was around a week away.

Paul ReubensPaul Reubens says he's reprising his role as Pee Wee Herman in a Judd Apatow-produced movie

"There is going to be one," Reubens said. "And I was hoping I could make this huge announcement tonight, but it's a week away, I think, from being announced."

The actor did confirm that production on the movie would begin next February and that a director had been hired (possibly Apatow, though he'll likely produce). "Steven Spielberg," Fallon cracked?

More: check out our Paul Reubens pictures

We already know that Reubens wrote the script for the movie with comedian Paul Rust - best known for his work on Arrested Development. Originally developed in the 1970s, Reubens adapted the Pee-Wee character for the stage with The Pee-wee Herman Show, which was filmed and released by HBO in 1981.

Judd ApatowJudd Apatow will produce the Pee-Wee Herman movie, though the director will be announced sometime next week

Pee-Wee then became a major hit after Tim Burton's 1985 movie Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. The success of the film helped Reubens mount a new TV series - Pee Wee's Playhouse, in 1986. A film sequel, Big Top Pee-Wee was a critical and commercial disaster and Reubens was arrested for masturbating in an adult theatre in Florida in 1991, souring his family-friendly image.

Only time will tell whether there's any real hunger for a new Pee-Wee Herman movie, though one thing's for sure: if this fails, it'll be curtains for Reubens. 

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