We've been hearing it for a couple of years now, but yes, there's still talk of Will Smith and Denzel Washington POSSIBLY starring together in a remake of the 1974 classic film Uptown Saturday Night.
According to Deadline.com, Adam McKay is currently in negotiations to direct the project, to be distributed by Warner Bros. Will Smith and James Lassiter's Overbrook Entertainment has also been developing the project.
The idea is for McKay to helm the film after he completes a sequel to Anchorman, the Will Ferrell-starrer that Paramount has set for an early 2013 start and 2014 release. McKay and Ferrell wrote that script and Judd Apatow is producing. McKay most recently helmed The Other Guys, and before that Talladega Nights. He's repped by WME.
The 1974 comedy starred Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier as pals who visit an illegal nightclub, and are forced to hand over their wallets to thieves. Turns out one of them contains a winning lottery ticket, emboldening the duo to bump up against the criminal element to get back the wallet. There are plenty of remakes that elicit groans. If this package comes together (Smith and Washington have long wanted to work together), with McKay's comic sensibility, this redo could be exceptional. The original cast was lined with the likes of Harry Belafonte, Flip Wilson and Richard Pryor, and the remake could follow suit by star-casting the supporting roles.
Sounds like the making of another Hollywood remake in the works. So…hit or miss? This is gonna be interesting. Although we'd like to see Will and Denzel star together in a film (it's long overdue if you asked us), we're not sure if Uptown is the right route to go, but we'll see. Old school trailer below.
