A while back, I wrote a post about how ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ would be the best of the franchise, and happened to mention that Johnny Depp would be starring in the upcoming remake of ‘The Thin Man.’
Wow! The commenters immediately glommed onto that and forgot all about the ‘Pirates’ movies. It’ll be a challenge to re-create the magic of William Powell and Myrna Loy as ex-detective Nick Charles and his wife Nora, the playfully married couple that solves murders mostly for the fun of it, usually in an alcoholic haze. And let’s not forget their little dog Asta, as well known for being a crossword clue as a movie character.
The franchise started with a novel by Dashiell Hammett, then came the 1934 movie and a series of sequels, as well as a TV series starring Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk as the snappy couple. That show ran from 1957 to 1959, although let’s face it, Powell and Loy are the penultimate Nick and Nora. If I said the name “Peter Lawford,” would you think of Nick Charles? No, you’d think of the Rat Pack or the Kennedys.
If anyone can re-inhabit the role of Nick Charles, it’d be Johnny Depp. He’s perfect for the role, but I sure hope he doesn’t goof it up. I’m pullin’ for him.
Here’s what we know about the remake of Warner Bros.’ ‘The Thin Man,’ scheduled for a 2013 release:
As mentioned, Johnny Depp will play Nick Charles. Rumor has it that Rachel Weisz is being considered for the role of Nora, and ok, I can see that. Who else could do justice to the snappy comebacks? Maybe Emma Roberts? She’s a little young, so maybe someone like Emily Blunt?
Rob Marshall (‘Pirates 4,’ ‘Nine,’ Memoirs of a Geisha’) is directing. Depp is producing, along with Christi Dembrowski and Kevin McCormick.
Jerry Stahl will pen the screenplay. He doesn’t have a lot of commercial movies to his name, which, quite frankly, might be an asset. He wrote the screenplay for ‘Bad Boys II,’ as well as the 1998 heroin memoir ‘Permanent Midnight.’ He also wrote a lot of episodes for ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,’ so I’m hoping he doesn’t turn Nick and Nora into a dark tragedy.
Warner Bros. is planning on retaining the period setting of the movie, but give it a modern feel. I’m picturing something along the lines of ‘Sherlock Holmes.’
That’s about all we know at the moment, but I’ll keep you posted as I hear more news. Check out the (3-minute long!) trailer for the original movie below. Nice that it’s centered on Dashiell Hammett. So often with book-based movies now, you never hear much about the author, without whom there would be no movie.
Are you excited about ‘The Thin Man’ remake? Or are you sick of remakes and think we should let the original stand for itself?
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