So, remember Tom Shadyac? He’s the guy who was at one time a box office comedy titan, thanks to “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” “The Nutty Professor,” “Liar Liar” and “Bruce Almighty.” But then he decided after making millions upon millions of dollars that there was more to life and made a documentary. “I Am“was a lot of feel good, New Age-y mumbo jumbo, that found him talking with folks like David Suzuki, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Lynne McTaggart, Ray Anderson, John Francis, Coleman Barks, and Marc Ian Barasch about like the world, man. That was a couple of years ago, and while he briefly popped up as a contender to direct a remake of Arthur Lubin‘s 1964 film “The Incredible Mr. Limpet” that had Zach Galifianakis attached to star, it didn’t happen. But now another remake might bring him back in the ring.
Deadline reports that Shadyac is in talks to direct The Weinstein Company‘s remake of the French box office hit “The Intouchables.” Paul Feig wrote the script, and Colin Firth is being eyed to star, but nothing is locked down just yet. The original film, co-directed by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, tells the based-on-a-true-story tale of the relationship of a wealthy quadriplegic and his immigrant caregiver. It’s big slice of awwwww that racked up nine César nominations, including a win for Omar Sy. One of the sticking points back during the ‘Limpet’ era was that Shadyac was insisting on ensuring the movie delivered a positive message, so we wonder how much he’ll gel with the script coming from “Bridesmaids” helmer Feig. That said, as Feig told us in the fall, he’s being respectful of the original.
“It’s an adaptation of that movie, and that movie is so good, so I’m trying not to stray too much, structurally, but it’s actually kind of fun to write, because I’m Americanizing it, and putting my voice in it, but trying not to mess it up,” he said. “I’m really excited about this one. The French version is one of the most loveable films. It’s a crowd-pleaser. Colin and I know who I want for the other role, but I can’t say yet.”
If the deal gets finalized though, we wonder if the established Firth would really do a movie with the guy who directed Jim Carrey talking through his butt. Guess we’ll see. We also wonder whatever happened to the Sam Kinison biopic Shadyac set up at HBO to produce. Maybe it no longer fits into his Whole Foods vibe.