A reboot of National Lampoon’s Vacation has been on the docket for New Line Cinema for a couple of years now, and although fans of the original have expressed mixed feelings about the project, it’s hard to argue with a surefire money maker. Their intention all along has been to create a movie that functions as both a sequel and a reboot, putting Clark Griswold’s son Rusty at the center of the hilarity as he takes his own family to Walley World before it closes down. Of course, with Anthony Michael Hall not quite at a level where he can headline his own film nowadays, the studio has been hunting for a new Rusty. Now this week it appears that the rumours are true and they have made a pretty solid choice in Ed Helms.

According to Variety, Helms has officially entered into negotiations for the lead role in the new Vacation. He had been rumoured to be involved back in February, but at the time he denied it. The studio is reportedly aiming to start shooting next spring after his commitments to both The Hangover: Part III and The Office are out of the way.

As previously reported, the movie will be directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, the same guys who wrote Horrible Bosses. It will be their directorial debut. While that doesn’t give me a lot of confidence, I do think Helms is a perfect fit for the role and could get me interested. Let’s hope they also manage to squeeze Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo in there briefly as well. What do you think, does the casting of Ed Helms make you more or less interested in taking another trip to Walley World?