Heading into family comedy territory after the Oscar-nominated dramedy The Kids Are All Right, writer/director Lisa Cholodenko first jumped on an adaptation of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day nearly a year go. But as the journey of filmmaking is a long road, we’re now just getting the first piece of casting.

Deadline reports that Steve Carell is now circling the 20th Century Fox film, an adaptation of Judith Viorst‘s kid’s book and one of my personal favorites. Co-written by Cholodenko and Rob Lieber, Carell with play the role of Ben and considering it’s been well over a decade since I’ve read the book, I apologize for not recalling who exactly that is. I do remember a dentist character, which could fit the usually quirky roles Carell takes. For now check out the synopsis below.

“I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there’s gum in my hair and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.”

So begin the trials and tribulations of the irascible Alexander, who has been earning the sympathy of readers since 1972. People of all ages have terrible, horrible days, and Alexander offers us the cranky commiseration we crave as well as a reminder that things may not be all that bad.

As Alexander’s day progresses, he faces a barrage of bummers worthy of a country- western song: getting smushed in the middle seat of the car, a dessertless lunch sack, a cavity at the dentist’s office, stripeless sneakers, witnessing kissing on television, and being forced to sleep in railroad-train pajamas. He resolves several times to move to Australia.”

Did you also love this book? Will Carell fit?