Shandling's Wild 'Planet'

06/03/1999 at 12:00 AM EDT

Garry Shandling is set to play an alien on the big screen. Variety reports the star of HBO's "The Larry Sanders Show" will appear in "What Planet Are You From?," described as a sophisticated adult comedy to be directed by Mike Nichols (who last directed "Primary Colors," starring John Travolta and Emma Thompson). In the film, Shandling's alien character is sent to Earth to procreate, but he has no penis; he is equipped, instead, with a mechanical apparatus whose propensity to vibrate makes him the hit of the singles' circuit. Part of the plot line involves the alien meeting a woman and falling in love.