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Warner Bros Cops Out On Kevin Smith’s Dick Movie

Posted on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 by Peter Sciretta

a couple of cops announce

Wow…

Yesterday word broke that Kevin Smith would be helming the first feature film based on a screenplay he did not write. Robb and Marc Cullen’s A Couple of Dicks was one of the scripts on the 2008 Black List (a Hollywood insider list of the best unproduced screenplays of the year). The story follows “two veteran LAPD detectives attempt to track down a stolen, mint-condition, 1952 baseball card.” It will star Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan and will be Smith’s first studio film. The trades have confirmed the rumors, but the real shocker is that Warner Bros has decided to change the title from A Couple of Dicks to…  A Couple of Cops.

REALLY? C’mon.

It’s not that I thought the original title, an obvious double entendre, was insanely clever, but it was definitely 100 times better than the new title, which is devoid of all cleverness. I understand that the word Porno posed a problem with the marketing of Smith’s Zack and Miri Make a Porno, but I think this is a totally different situation. Hell, Universal’s Meet The Fockers was released without issue. Also, Andrew Fleming’s 1999 Whitewater/Richard Nixon comedy Dick was released with no problems. So whats the deal?

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  • Zinc
    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    How will I enjoy the movie now without it having a title with sexual innuendo?
  • Ahaha, good point! Yeah its kind of a weak title now, but what ever. Its not really a big deal is it Peter? Its just the title. I am still psyched that Silent Bob and John McClaine are working together! JK Smith is awesome of course. Since this is Smith's first big studio movie, this won't be PG-13 will it?!? With this concept plus Kevin Smith and Bruce Willis, I would love to see a hard R comedy cop movie.
  • Bull
    I agree, but A Couple of Cops? It sounds like a bad sitcom. If I saw this movie title in a preview, I would not even think about seeing it. I'm guessing this will get another name change before the release.
  • Yeah it does, but I would also say that the title A Couple of Dicks sounds like a sitcom, but is just much cooler.
  • I'm thinking of making a film. It will be about either a pair of super intelligent members of the police force, or a pair of bumbling film studio executives with no spines.

    Either way the title will be the same: "A Couple of Dick Heads."
  • when will hollywood grow a pair?
  • when will hollywood grow a pair? we can show a 15 year old character having sex with kate winslet but the word dick cant be in the title of a movie
  • Warner bros. are just being dicks...sorry I had too -.-.
  • Too many dicks on the page.
  • Yeah, the original title probably seemed too close to Smith's own creations and after the marketing hassles of Zach and Miri make a Porno, the studio was probably wanting to avoid the extra work.
  • jerry seinfeld
    stupid. everything about this movie; the thread about the movie, and all comments including my own are just stupid.
  • the comparison to meet the fockers is a really good one.

    not only is A Couple of Dicks a better title, it would be easier to sell imo. It makes you want to know more about the film immediately, and pegging the protagonists as dicks from the get-go just makes the characters interesting before you've even seen anything.
  • I agree Daft, the title just clicks in so many ways, it's a shame this is a studio film from the outset. At least they're not changing it last minute, I suppose.
  • come on, you know the title would never fly in conservatve Bible Belt towns.
  • Jesus had a dick....
  • I so want that on a T-Shirt so I can sell it at some southern Church function somewhere.
  • They let Kevin Smith use Porno...why not dicks? They should just change the title entirely, if it's not going to be "A Couple of Dicks"
    Try to picture a trailer voice-over for "A Couple of Cops" ...it just sounds dumb.
  • I hope it gets renamed to just "Dicks."
  • I love the use of the word dicks like that.
    Makes me thing of Marlowe.
    A couple of cops is awful, they'll have to change it again/back.
  • RageTreb
    The issue might be that the original title had homosexual connotations. The ratings association and Hollywood in general can be a little uptight about that. That could account for Dick and Focker making it past. Perhaps if it was "Story of a dick" or "A dick and his friend" or something equally less clever it would have been fine.
  • I guess Dick and Jane will have to be edited. Can't let the children see that one.
  • Palmer
    Because the industry is full of prudes of course!
  • Ohhhhhhh. COPS out. I get it.


    Clever, Peter. Clever.....
  • While the new title is lame, is this really surprising after the debacle that was his "porn" movie?
  • Jeff L.
    This just in: Warner Bros. has changed the title yet again, to "Two Guys."

    Bruce Willis needs to tell Warner Bros. to back off.
  • Spooky
    Either that, or he has to Chris Brown some CEO's
  • I can understand if the title was " A couple of Cocks", but seriously, Dicks, nothing wrong there..
  • I know why they did this. It's because you can't have a couple of dicks if you're a tight ass.

    Sorry, also had to.
  • valido
    I remember reading somewhere that, by RIAA rules, one dick is fine but more than one is not.
  • I don't think the changing of the title will effect the movie whatsoever. If this movie does get made, it's going to be just as good dick or no dick.
  • uhh this is retarded, has anyone heard of that great family movie "Fun with Dick and Jane" why should this be any different? I guess if all else fails Kevin Smith could name both of his cop characters Richard and say thats the reason for the name.
  • I don' t get why change it... It will be probably R-Rated anyway because of cursing and violance :D
  • Why not? And who cares?

    Will they *accidentally* see "Cops" instead of protesting "Dicks"? (Even though it's the same exact film. That would just highlight their stupidity.) After all, it wasn't called "A Couple of Black, Throbbing Penises", that *could* be offensive to some.
  • Rob Merritt
    The problem is this is a Kevin Smith movie. Ron Howard could make the same film and no one would blink on the title.
  • Tracy Morgan should be beaten to death with a the claw end of a hammer in broad day light.
    How he gets work I have no idea. ...He's about as funny as a bag of wet shit.
  • If you happened to slip and fall on that bag of wet shit, that would make it f*cking hilarious. Takes all sorts.
  • Bull
    Your sense of humor sucks.
  • Wasabi Steak
    I mean its probably gonna end up being a hacky buddy cop flick anyway so cares right? I mean the dick pun was just as corny.
  • That's weak....first of all it won't be a hack buddy cop movie, no matter what genre Kevin Smith does, it's never "hacky". But more importantly, what is with changing the name of every movie the guy makes? It's junk.
  • bobby s
    is it me or does kevin smith suck? he's really really overrated.
  • "A couple of fleshrockets" Anyone...?
  • Spooky
    second that
  • jason B
    all's i know about smith lately, is that his "Batman: Cacophony" was THE WORST batman story i have ever read in my entire life, and that 'zack & miri' was a cinematic step backwards for him as a writer/director.

    i cannot stress enough to you guys just how absolutley terrible the 3 part batman story was. this was one of - if not - THE worst imagining of the joker in existence. i honestly tried to find something i liked, but even the artwork was utter shit. the dialogue was amatuer/childish trash, and i didn't even care where the story went by the end. i don't know how to express me spitting in text/type, so i'll just tell you guys i'm spitting on all 3 issues and their variant covers. soooooo fucking disapointing.
  • Your Movie Is Cool.
  • Rmrmil
    I just got a flyer in my lobby, "warner bros is filming a project entitled "couple of cops"" location is 93rd and 4th ave in bay ridge Brooklyn Sunday and Monday the 15th and 16th. So I think the name stuck.
  • Anita W.
    it sucks, they are shooting this movie on my street starting today till the 13 of July. And I have no parking till the 14. That means I have to look for a place to park my car on other street. No fun!!!!!!!!!!!!
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