LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Actor Mike Myers, best known for appearing in multiple roles in the "Austin Powers" films, has hatched a plan to appear in old films that he was never in in the first place.
Myers and privately held DreamWorks unveiled a partnership Friday that will see the studio acquire the rights to existing movies, write new storylines and then use digital technology to insert Myers and other performers into the films.
The two sides said they have decided to call the process "film sampling," a take-off on the musical practice of sampling, where bits of old songs are used in new songs or where songs get entirely new lyrics.
The practice has been particularly popular in the world of rap music, where top producers like Sean "P. Diddy" Combs have made successful records from older songs.
"Think of me as the Puff Daddy of film or 'M. Diddy' or 'M & M' or just 'M, or maybe when you sample movies you don't need a special name?' " Myers said in a statement.
DreamWorks said Myers would work directly with two of its co-founders, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg, as well as director Jay Roach, who directed the "Austin Powers" films.
The idea of somehow redoing an original film is not a new one. In 1966 Woody Allen directed "What's Up, Tiger Lily?", a Japanese spy film where he removed the voice track and replaced it with one of his own.
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