Penn & Teller & Penn

“Penn and Teller Get Killed,” filming for Lorimar Pictures and producer Bernie Brillstein in May, also gets another Penn as director--the veteran Arthur Penn (“Bonnie and Clyde,” “Little Big Man”).

The masters of malicious magic make their big screen debut in what Penn Jillette (the big one) described to us as a “funny, highly suspenseful yarn with a lot of plot twists. Surprise is really an important part of what we do.”

“We were told to go for a young director with a lot of energy,” said the normally silent Teller. “Our concern was that a director could tip it into too much suspense or into a flat-out comedy romp. So we wanted someone whose work we loved and admired.”

According to Teller, the plot results from Penn’s confession on national TV (on a show remarkably similar to David Letterman’s) that the duo’s lives are really boring and they’d welcome some excitement. What they get is someone who decides that putting their lives in peril would be the perfect antidote.

Meanwhile, the comic pair’s current show on Broadway has been extended until Feb. 29. And their first home video, “Cruel Tricks for Dear Friends” is due in stores in February.