By Carolyn Giardina

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Justin Timberlake is lacing up his skates to play a professional hockey player in Mike Myers' new comedy "The Love Guru."

Myers plays a self-help expert who is challenged to settle a rift between a star Toronto Maple Leafs hockey player (Romany Malco) and his estranged wife. After the split, the wife begins dating Los Angeles Kings star Jacques Grande (Timberlake) out of revenge. This sends her husband into a professional skid, to the horror of Toronto team owner (Jessica Alba) and coach (Verne Troyer).

The Paramount Pictures film is slated to go into production in September in Toronto. Marco Schnabel will direct from a script by Myers and Graham Gordy. A release is planned for June 20, 2008.

Timberlake, now on his FutureSex/LoveShow concert tour, was a member of the Myers-led voice ensemble in DreamWorks' "Shrek the Third." His recent credits include "Alpha Dog." He next will appear in Richard Kelly's "Southland Tales," which is slated to open November 9.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
© Copyright 2007 Reuters.