Tom Shadyac In Talks To Direct ‘The Intouchables’ Remake

Posted on Friday, March 1st, 2013 by Germain Lussier

The morning of the Oscars nominations, one of the biggest snubs – in my opinion – was France’s The Intouchables not getting a nod for Best Foreign Film. Written and directed Eric Toledano & Olivier Nakache, it’s a hilarious and heartfelt true story about a quadriplegic and his unorthodox caretaker (François Cluzet and Omar Sy, above). In the United States, the film was distributed by The Weinstein Company, grossing an impressive $10 million. Add that to the $416 million (yes you read that right) it made internationally and the film seemed like a lock for a nomination.

Nope. Snubbed. It happens. Which actually was a blessing in disguise for the Weinstein Company, which has long since planned on remaking the film. With an Oscar nomination, more Americans would have been turned onto the original. Now it remains relatively obscure, leaving the door open slightly more wide for the remake.

Paul Feig was originally attached to write and direct, but has since moved on. His script remains though, along with a possible attachment from Oscar-winner Colin Firth as the quadriplegic. (Chris Tucker was rumored for the caretaker.) Now, the latest update is Tom Shadyac, the director of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Nutty Professor and Liar, Liar is in talks to make the movie. It would be the director’s first feature film since 2007′s Evan Almighty. After that he had a near-death experience and stepped back from his Hollywood life, directing an autobiographical documentary called I Am.  Read More »

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2013 Golden Globe Nominations Highlight ‘Zero Dark Thirty,’ ‘Django Unchained,’ ‘Lincoln’

Posted on Thursday, December 13th, 2012 by Russ Fischer

This morning Megan Fox, Ed Helms, and Jessica Alba announced the nominations for the 2013 Golden Globes. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization behind the event, is famous for nominating films and performances simply based on their star factor — if there’s an actor that members of the HFPA want to hang out with, they’re sure to get a nomination.

But the HFPA is great at putting on a show, and so the Golden Globes generate a lot of attention every year. And, as the NY Times points out, with the Globes nominations coming just days before Oscar nomination voting starts, there’s a possibility that nominations here could affect Oscar voting. The Best Picture nomination set includes what is already becoming a standard set of awards favorites, such as Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, and Zero Dark Thirty, but there are also nominations for Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, and Django Unchained. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen picked up a few nominations, actually, which was one of  the big surprises.

The Golden Globes will air on January 13, 2013, hosted by Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. The full nomination list is below. Read More »

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Remake Bits: ‘Poltergeist’ Writer Speaks; Plus, ‘Oldboy,’ ‘The Intouchables,’ ‘Mona Lisa,’ ‘Starship Troopers’

Posted on Monday, November 26th, 2012 by Germain Lussier

Remakes live, die and get defended in this edition of Remake Bits. After the jump, read about the following:

• David Lindsay-Abaire gives an update of the Poltergiest remake.
• Sharlto Copley eases fan misconceptions about Spike Lee’s remake of Oldboy.
• Chris Tucker is in talks for the remake of the French smash The Intouchables.
• Larry Clarke said a remake of Mona Lisa is dead.
• Paul Verhoeven believes the failure of the Total Recall remake could have killed a Starship Troopers remake.

Read More »

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