diff --git a/lib/ansible/playbook/task.py b/lib/ansible/playbook/task.py
index ecdb1df76a6..4d3eab382fd 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/playbook/task.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/playbook/task.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 
 from ansible import errors
 from ansible import utils
+from ansible.module_utils.splitter import split_args
 import os
 import ansible.utils.template as template
 import sys
@@ -234,13 +235,13 @@ class Task(object):
             self.notify = [ self.notify ]
 
         # split the action line into a module name + arguments
-        tokens = self.action.split(None, 1)
+        tokens = split_args(self.action)
         if len(tokens) < 1:
             raise errors.AnsibleError("invalid/missing action in task. name: %s" % self.name)
         self.module_name = tokens[0]
         self.module_args = ''
         if len(tokens) > 1:
-            self.module_args = tokens[1]
+            self.module_args = " ".join(tokens[1:])
 
         import_tags = self.module_vars.get('tags',[])
         if type(import_tags) in [int,float]:
diff --git a/test/integration/roles/test_good_parsing/tasks/main.yml b/test/integration/roles/test_good_parsing/tasks/main.yml
index bb87c025c11..fc302dbd8fa 100644
--- a/test/integration/roles/test_good_parsing/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/test/integration/roles/test_good_parsing/tasks/main.yml
@@ -152,4 +152,15 @@
     that:
       - complex_param == "this is a param in a complex arg with double quotes"
 
+- name: test variable module name
+  action: "{{ variable_module_name }} msg='this should be debugged'"
+  register: result
+
+- debug: var=result
+
+- name: assert the task with variable module name ran
+  assert:
+    that:
+      - result.invocation.module_name == "debug"
+      - result.msg == "this should be debugged"
 
diff --git a/test/integration/roles/test_good_parsing/vars/main.yml b/test/integration/roles/test_good_parsing/vars/main.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ea7a0b846e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/roles/test_good_parsing/vars/main.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+---
+variable_module_name: debug