Adam Sandler Attached to Headline Remake of French Comedy NARCO; Offered the Lead in THE $40,000 MAN
by Brendan Bettinger Posted: December 11th, 2010
Adam Sandler is attached to star in Narco, a remake of the 2004 French film The Secret Adventures of Gustave Klopp. The original is about a man with narcolepsy who dreams of action heros each time he falls asleep. (One of these was played by Jean-Claude Van Damme.) According to Pajiba, Clay Tarver (Joyride) is scripting the remake for Sandler’s production company Happy Madison.
Hit the jump for the trailer for Gustave Klopp, plus details on the offer out to Sandler to star in The $40,000 Man.
Last we heard about The $40,000 Man, Robert Downey Jr. was said to be interested in the lead role. Terry Zwigoff (Ghost World) wrote the script, which centers on “a legendary astronaut and ‘true American hero,’ who is horribly injured in a car crash and is rebuilt by the government to be a bionic man but on a budget of $40,000 – which makes him not that bionic.” John Francis Daley (Horrible Bosses) rewrote the most recent draft.
The offer probably doesn’t mean much more than “Adam Sandler is the most bankable comedy star of the last decade and he could fit in this role.” But the names of Zwigoff and Daley combined with Downey’s interest suggest a certain level of quality. I’m interested to see where this project goes.
As promised, here’s the trailer for The Secret Adventure s of Gustave Klopp. I speak approximately three words of French (merde, dégueulasse, femme), but it looks kinda funny.
Salma Hayek Eyed for Lead in Kevin James’ MMA Film
by Adam Chitwood Posted: December 11th, 2010
Actor Kevin James is quickly becoming the Rob Schneider of the 2000’s. After last year’s Paul Blart: Mall Cop (“Kevin James is a mall cop”), and 2011’s Zookeeper (“Kevin James is a zookeeper”), it’s looking like the actor’s next project will be “Kevin James is a mixed martial arts fighter” (not to be outdone by the upcoming “Kevin James is a valet guy”). Pajiba reports that James’ Grown Ups co-star Salma Hayek is being eyed for the lead female role. The Sony Pictures comedy is being written by screenwriter Allan Loeb (The Switch), and centers on a physics teacher who moonlights as a MMA fighter in order to save the job of the school’s music teacher.
Professional MMA fighter (and Zookeeper voice-over co-star) Bas Rutten is also reportedly in talks for a role in the film. No director is currently set for the untitled MMA project. James will next be seen in Ron Howard’s The Dilemma, which opens on January 14, 2011, followed by Zookeeper on July 8, 2011.
Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy Up for PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES
by Brendan Bettinger Posted: December 11th, 2010
Once, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was going to be a collaboration between producer/star Natalie Portman and director David O. Russell (The Fighter). Then, Portman not to star (staying on as producer), and Russell dropped out. Lionsgate hired Mike White (Year of the Dog) to replace Russell, but at this point there are no stars for White to direct.
Scarlett Johansson, Bradley Cooper, Mia Wasikowska, Tilda Swinton, and Catherine O’Hara were rumored for roles awhile back. Two more have thrown their name into the hat: Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy. Details after the jump.
According to Pajiba, Hathaway is under consideration to star as Elizabeth Bennett, while McAvoy would play Mr. Darcy. The earlier report mentioned Johansson and Wasikowska for Elizabeth, Cooper for Darcy. It is not clear if Hathaway and McAvoy now top the shortlist, or have merely joined it. However, it is noteworthy that a Hathaway/McAvoy pairing suggests an entirely different approach to casting than Johansson/Cooper.
Pajiba also clarifies their report on Hathway’s involvement with the Barbarella remake. She is indeed interested, but the film will have a tough time breaking out of development hell. Though Robert Rodriguez and Robert Luketic were each attached to direct at one stage or another, the project currently has no director.Here’s the synopsis of the source material for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a novel by Seth Grahame-Smith that inserts zombies into the Jane Austen classic:
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.” So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy.What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Can she vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? [Amazon]
