Mrs. Doubtfire returns
Robin Williams is getting set to don the make-up and wig again and return to his beloved Mrs. Doubtfire role in a long-awaited sequel. The actor told Web site Sky News he avoided the character for a while because sequel ideas failed to inspire him, but he’s thrilled with a new script from comedienne/actress Bonnie Hunt (Cheaper by the Dozen). He says, “There are plenty more adventures left for her, and the script could easily run to film three too. Fans will love it.” Hmmm, I’m a little dubious. Although I admire Hunt (who knew she was a screenwriter?), I’m curious on what new adventures she might be thinking of for the elderly Doubtfire. I mean, the whole point to the 1993 heartwarming comedy hit was to tell a story about a divorced dad who disguises himself as a a kindly but opinionated British nanny named Iphegenia Doubtfire in order to be with his kids. He gets caught, the jig is up and “Mrs. Doubtfire” gets her own TV show in the end. But everyone knows at that point it’s a man playing an old British woman. Where can you go from there?
Jennifer Love Hewitt as a hooker?
You betcha! The actress plans to star in and produce a fact-based feature about a hooker housewife from Texas. That alone is going to attract half the male population. But what until you hear the title: She Had Brains, a Body, and the Ability to Make Men Love Her. Isn’t that perfect? According to Hollywood Reporter, Hewitt’s LoveSpell Entertainment production company has acquired the rights to an article that appeared in the January issue of Texas Monthly. The article, which was written by Katy Vine, relates the story of a 22-year-old housewife and former homecoming queen in Odessa, Texas, who became one of the city’s most popular prostitutes until she, her co-workers and 68 prominent Odessa residents were arrested in a scandal that shook the city. LoveSpell envisions the project as a comedy. I should hope so. It’s gutsy for Hewitt to try to break out of her good-girl persona, grow up a little and do something slightly scandalous, especially if she takes off at least some of her clothes. If done correctly, I see this as a cult favorite in frat houses everywhere.
Garner also thinks out of the box
Jennifer Garner is also going out on a limb with her next feature film. The Alias star, whose so far has either played a kick-ass assassin or a sweet 30 year-old going on 13, will star in Sabbatical, an erotic thriller for Disney. According to the Reporter, the story follows a couple who hits the doldrums in their seventh year of marriage. To inject some life into their union, they decide to take a two-week sabbatical from each other during which, within a set of rules, they can do whatever they want. When the wife returns to the agreed-upon meeting place two weeks later, however, she discovers that her husband has disappeared. Ah, how mysterious. What a fun project to jump into after giving birth to Ben Affleck’s baby!
Wilson’s off Mitty
Paramount Pictures’ on-again, off-again remake of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is off again as far as the studio is concerned. Everyone was all hot and ready to go when Owen Wilson jumped onboard to star as Walter Mitty, a timid man who daydreams of exciting adventures and falls for the daughter of a bank robber. Danny Kaye played Mitty in the 1947 original. But, according to the Reporter, the long-gestating project is now in “turnaround,” which is industry-speak for on the back-burner. Sources said the project lost momentum at Paramount after the studio failed to cast a female lead to play opposite Wilson, who only signed on contingent of a well-suited female co-star. Scarlett Johansson was in serious contention after screen-testing with Wilson this month, but a deal never closed. Then Wilson recently withdrew from the project completely. Sources say Zach Braff is now the front-runner to play Mitty in the remake to be directed by Mark Waters, if the movie ever gets back on track. Paramount denied that the delay in casting a female lead played a role in pushing Wilson off the project, while producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr. cited “creative differences” for the project being put in turnaround. “This is the best possible solution,” he told the Reporter. Whatever.
Ring for the butler
Ralph Fiennes, who will be seen next as the evil Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, has signed up to play Susan Sarandon‘s gay butler in the new movie Doris and Bernard, directed by Bob Balaban. The film, based on the real life of tobacco billionairness Doris Duke, tells the story of Duke and her relationship with her gay Irish butler, Bernard Lafferty, to whom she left her entire fortune. It’s Driving Miss Daisy meets Gosford Park. I can hear Oscar calling now.
Swinton, Tamblyn star in an indie
Tilda Swinton, who stars as the evil White Witch in the upcoming Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, is set to star as a forensic psychologist opposite Amber Tamblyn‘s murder suspect in the indie feature Stephanie Daley. Hilary Brougher will direct the film from a script she developed at the Sundance Filmmaker Lab. The story centers on Swinton‘s character’s investigation of a 17-year-old (Tamblyn) accused of infanticide. Wow, that sounds like a cheerful movie.
Disney is McFearless
Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films won a bidding war to buy The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless, an upcoming children’s book by Ahmet Zappa, according to the Reporter. The book follows a brother and sister who discover they belong to a family of legendary monster hunters and must journey to a far-off castle to rescue their father from the most fearsome monster of all. Cool. Zappa, the son of rocker Frank Zappa, also created illustrations for the more than 300 monsters named in the book. The book, Zappa‘s first, began in 2003 as a recipe book for kids–the recipes were for “antidotes” to ward off the monsters–but Random House liked what it saw and asked for a chapter book. After the heated bidding war, Zappa apparently came away feeling that, among the suitors, Bruckheimer would make the journey from page to screen the fastest. Sources said the deal is in the seven figures. Not bad for a day’s work.
Until next week…
