Variety‘s Justin Kroll is reporting that Jack Nicholson, whom everyone had assumed had more or less retired from acting, will star in a U.S. remake of the Oscar-nominated Toni Erdmann for Paramount.

Sources have told Kroll that that Nicholson “was a huge fan of the original and approached Paramount’s Brad Grey with the idea, and Grey immediately worked with the team at Paramount to secure the rights.”

With Nicholson about to turn 80 on 4.22 and especially given his absence from movies since 2010’s How Do You Know, his Erdmann return will be widely processed as a swan song of sorts and is therefore guaranteed to be Best Actor nominated.

You know going in that Jack will hit a homer with this role, and even if he only manages a ground-rule double he’ll be nominated anyway as a career tribute gesture.

Kristen Wiig will play Edrmann’s uptight business executive daughter. No director has been hired or at least announced.

Adam McKay will produce along with Will Ferrell and Jessica Elbuam of Gloria Sanchez Productions. Maren Ade, writer and director of the original Toni Erdmann, will exec produce along with producers Jonas Dornbach and Janine Jackowski.

Word around the campfire was that Nicholson had quit acting because he was having trouble remembering lines. I never believed that excuse as any actor with that problem could have easily been cued with an all-but-invisible earpiece. It’s good that he’s back, in any event.