'Will & Grace' Sean Hayes in 'Three Stooges'

Will & Grace star Sean Hayes has signed up to play Larry in The Three Stooges.

The comic actor will join Will Sasso, who is confirmed to play Curly in the Farrelly brothers' update of the long-running comedy series.

It is unknown who will take on the role of Moe, with Hank Azaria currently the strongest contender for the middle brother in the stage trio.

Peter Farrelly told Variety: "Our goal is 85 minutes of laughs in a film that will be very respectful of who the Stooges were."

The film, which is not biographical, will be divided into three parts based on actual sketches by The Three Stooges.

Rumours about the final make-up of the cast have dogged the film, with several big names dropping out of the lineup.

It was previously rumoured that Jackass' Johnny Knoxville was in the running for the role of Moe.

Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro and Jim Carrey were reportedly keen in the early stages of the project, which has been in the works since 2009.