Channing Tatum will star in Disney’s planned remake of Splash, the 1984 comedy starring Tom Hanks as a man who falls in love with a mermaid (Daryl Hannah).
But Tatum will not be playing the Tom Hanks role in this new version, according to THR, which reports that that will go to Jillian Bell, his co-star in 22 Jump Street. No, the buff Magic Mike will be the Mermaid this time!
Tatum will also produce the new film, along with Ron Howard, who directed the beloved original, and Brian Grazer, a producer for the original, through their Imagine Entertainment; and Reid Carolin and Peter Kieran via his Free Association banner, with Anna Culp will executive producing.
The script will be written by Marja-Lewis Ryan, who’s currently penning the HBO pilot Unsupervised for Free Association.
Of the remake, Grazer, who has a shared story credit on the original film, previously said that it would be from the point-of-view of the mermaid, which now makes sense given that superstar Tatum is in that role. The producer also confirmed that the original concept for 1984’s Splash was more in line with what they plan to do for the remake.
The original Splash is one of my favorite movies of all time. It featured Hanks at his comedic best, as well as his most romantic, in my opinion. Hanks headlined the film as Allen Bauer, who as a little boy on vacation with his family is rescued from the ocean by a little mermaid. The encounter forever changes him, and when he’s older, fate once again brings him together with the mermaid, Madison, played by Hannah. Hannah, a relative newcomer at the time, embodied the spirit of what we think of mermaids, and then took it a step further. The rest of the cast is filled with seasoned comedians, like Eugene Levy and John Candy, who lean this whimsical romantic comedy to the comedic side whenever they’re on screen.
The original Splash is definitely a one-of-a-kind, perfect chemistry film that likely won’t be replicated with this remake. But, Tatum has proven that he can be both charismatic and funny, so his mermaid will surely be a likable one. Hopefully with Howard and Glazer on board as producers, the spirit of the original can be recaptured somewhat.
[Source: THR]
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