Every once in a while you come across a bit of movie news that makes you think, "They're kidding, right"? Well, this is one of those times. According to a report on Virgin.net, Val Kilmer has signed on to make the sequel to the 1985 comedy Real Genius.

If you haven't seen it, then I can't really say you are missing anything. The story follows a freewheeling genius (Kilmer) and his uptight sidekick who get duped into creating a weapon for the government by none other than '80s villainous staple, William Atherton. The whole thing plays like a time capsule, and I really don't remember the '80s as being quite that lame, but the proof is all there on film. Kilmer claimed that he signed on to revive his character from the first film in hopes of broadening his career horizons to include more comedy roles. Kilmer has a flair for comedy, as he proved in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and even Top Secret (a personal guilty pleasure), but was the world really crying out for a sequel to this particular flick?

There aren't many details on the production yet, and a shooting schedule hasn't even been announced. You have to wonder if maybe Kilmer is trying to drum up a little publicity for himself ... either that or the salad dressing idea isn't selling like he thought it would.