Johnny Knoxville won't, as it turns out, be playing the role of Moe in the Farrelly Brothers' "Three Stooges" movie.
And nobody really ever said he was.
But in some extremely informal conversations, the "Jackass" star had expressed interest in being Moe. In the current media 
environment, that was enough for speculation to fly.
On March 10, Variety reported that Twentieth Century Fox wanted the "Jackass" star for the role. The publication pointed out that negotiations had not begun.
Word of Knoxville-as-Moe flew across the internet.
On Wednesday, Knoxville was tamping down the rumors:
"I will not be appearing as Moe in 'The Three Stooges.' I love the Stooges, and I love the Farrellys," Knoxville told the Knoxville News Sentinel on Wednesday. "A couple of movies I have lined up kept me from it. More on those later."
Publicists, studios and producers frequently complain — or at least shake their heads — over premature reports about actors accepting roles.
On Tuesday, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that nobody offered Knoxville the role, and that he wouldn't be in the movie.
On Wednesday, Variety acknowledged that Knoxville passed on the role he hadn't been offered.
