Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart Co-Starring in Remake of THE INTOUCHABLES
I haven't seen the original French version of The Intouchables, but I thought I knew enough about it to sort of scoff at the news that Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart are in talks to star in an American remake. The film is about an injured aristocrat who hires a guy from the projects to be his caretaker, and my gut reaction was that Cranston could play this role in his sleep, but Hart seemed like a strange fit for the role originally played by Omar Sy. Then I watched the trailer again:
I can totally see the pint-sized, motor-mouthed actor fitting into that role perfectly. Sure, he'll be more shrill than Sy ever was because that's his shtick, and I think the jokes might be a little dumbed down to fit with his style and try to attract a larger audience, but I think this could actually work. The original French version was a huge hit, pulling in over $425 million worldwide when it was released back in 2012.
Colin Firth and Chris Tucker were eyed to star in this remake a few years ago, but that version stalled. It seems to have new life now, and filming is supposed to begin sometime this summer under the direction of Simon Curtis (My Week With Marilyn), who's working from a script by Paul Feig (Ghostbusters, Spy, Bridesmaids). Have you seen the original? Think these two actors are good replacements?