There’s a serious divide in that a movie title means more to a Hollywood executive than the general public. “Remaking” something like “Lethal Weapon” sort of makes sense, since those movies were so popular that you could slap “Lethal Weapon” on anything, and people will make certain associations that essentially minimizes the negative impact a bad marketing campaign can do. Does “About Last Night…” have the same power?
The 1986 Edward Zwick romantic comedy about a mismatched couple navigating the minefield of casual sex is getting a spit-shine, to be remade by Screen Gems and producer Will Gluck (“Easy A“). Whatever memory of the original film exists is of the Brat Pack headlining duo of Demi Moore and Rob Lowe, but the picture wasn’t exactly beloved. Still, a title that does $38 million in ’86 remains somewhat viable to the money men, as that roughly translates to $5.3 billion today, so Screen Gems is looking for a new take on what must be a popular catalog title. There’s no word on what will be different this time around, but perhaps they will hew closer to the source, David Mamet‘s stage play “Sexual Perversity In Chicago“.
Gluck, who will be supervising the project and handpicking the writer and director, is a sweetheart with Screen Gems after directing “Easy A”, which grossed nine times its production budget last fall. They have enough confidence in the two-time director that his next offering, “Friends With Benefits“, has a plum summer release date on July 22nd, and he’s also still involved in writing and directing another star vehicle for “Easy A” breakout Emma Stone. No casting decisions have been made, but knowing the youth-friendly Screen Gems, count on a hot young ensemble figuring in the cast, with maybe a slot left over for Matt Dillon as a friendly bartender or something.