Sir Ben Kingsley addresses a news conference at
the 57th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin February 10, 2007.[Reuters]

 

Ben Kingsley has joined Mike Myers, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Alba in the comedy "The Love Guru."

The Paramount Pictures film, which marks Myers' first original character since Austin Powers, begins shooting Friday in Toronto. It's scheduled to hit theaters June 20.

Myers will play Pitka, an American who was left at the gates of an ashram in India as a child and raised by gurus. He moves back to the U.S. to seek fame and fortune in the world of self-help and spirituality, specializing in settling intimacy issues between couples.

In a role befitting a British knight, Kingsley plays Guru Tugginmypudha, the ashram leader who teaches Myers' character how to love himself and how to wear a chastity belt.

Also joining the cast are Meagan Good ("Stomp the Yard") and "The Daily Show" correspondent John Oliver. The cast also includes Verne Troyer and Romany Malco.

Kingsley, who won an Oscar for "Gandhi" and was nominated for "Sexy Beast," is currently in theaters with "The Last Legion."