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Will to produce 'Uptown Saturday Night' Remake


Ale

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I'd love to see this, Will & Denzel together.

So...is it official MIB3 is next??

Yeah!

Tim Dowling rewriting 'Uptown Saturday Night'

Warner Bros. remake eyed as vehicle for Will Smith and Denzel Washington

Exclusive: Warner Bros. and Overbrook Entertainment have brought on comedy scribe Tim Dowling to rewrite "Uptown Saturday Night," a long-in-development remake of the 1974 buddy comedy that David Dobkin ("Wedding Crashers") is attached to direct and exec produce.

Overbrook partners Will Smith, James Lassiter, Ken Stovitz and Jada Pinkett Smith will produce the remake, which has been in development since 2002 and was originally scripted by Mark and Robb Cullen ("Cop Out").

The original film, penned by NYU professor Richard Wesley and starring Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier, followed two estranged friends who have their wallets stolen at a nightclub. The next morning, they learn that one of their wallets contained a winning lottery ticket, and together, they set out to find it.

New pic will likely diverge from the original storyline, and is being eyed as a starring vehicle for two A-list leads such as Smith and Denzel Washington, two thesps Hollywood's rumor mill has long associated with the project.

Dowling was named one of Variety's 10 Screenwriters to Watch in 2010. Scribe previously wrote the hit comedies "Role Models" and "Just Go With It." Lately, Dowling has added action to his resume, having penned the upcoming Chris Pine-Tom Hardy pic "This Means War," as well as the "Midnight Run" sequel for Universal.

Dobkin's next film is the Ryan Reynolds-Jason Bateman body-switching comedy "The Change-Up," which Universal releases Aug. 5. He recently became attached to direct "The Judge" for WB, and serves as a producer on the studio's fantasy epic "Jack the Giant Killer."

CAA reps Dobkin and Dowling, who is also repped by Mosaic and attorney Rick Genow.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118034362?refCatId=13

Edited by Ale
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  • 11 months later...

Will Smith And Denzel Washington's 'Uptown Saturday Night' Has 'Hangover' Vibe

"This Means War" writer Timothy Dowling is next set to work on "Uptown Saturday Night," a remake of the 1974 film of the same name. As it stands, Denzel Washington and Will Smith are connected to the roles originated by Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby.

"Will Smith is producing it. He hired me to write it because he liked the script for 'This Mean's War.' He and Denzel Washington grew up loving the original," Dowling revealed in an exclusive interview with MTV News. "It’s been a fun one to write, I just turned it in. We’re all hoping it’s something [Washington] wants do."

"The funny thing is, Will is so funny but hasn’t done a comedy in a while and Denzel I don’t think has ever done a comedy. I think the pairing would be great," he continued. "David Dobkin is attached to direct it and hopefully we’ll get that going."

Dowling explained that "Uptown Saturday Night" was "a fun one to write" for a variety of reasons.

"The best way to describe it is a 'one crazy night' movie but it's not just one night," he said. "Both of the main characters are blue collar guys, one doesn’t get a promotion, one’s business isn’t doing great, they go out for a night and get caught up in something they need to find their way out of. It’s similar in tone to 'The Hangover.' I think it will be really fun."

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/03/01/will-smith-and-denzel-washingtons-uptown-saturday-night-has-hangover-vibe/

Edited by Ale
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The more I think about it.. The more I'm not sure about this one... Would have rather seen them both in an action thriller!

Director doesn't seem like he has many great movies behind him either

Edited by Da Brakes
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  • 1 month later...

Adam McKay Signing On To Direct ‘Uptown Saturday Night’ Remake; Will Smith, Denzel Washington Eyed To Star

EXCLUSIVE: Adam McKay is in negotiations to develop to direct Uptown Saturday Night, the Warner Bros remake that the studio hopes will star Will Smith and Denzel Washington. Smith and James Lassiter’s Overbrook Entertainment has been developing the project. Tim Dowling wrote the most recent draft.

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.

http://www.deadline.com/2012/04/adam-mckay-signing-on-to-direct-uptown-saturday-night-remake-will-smith-denzel-washington-eyed-to-star/

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Will & Denzel together on the movie screen would be a dream. But Adam McKay as a director? I would have preferred someone like Spike Lee or Scott Sanders.

McKay is from Philly, same for Shyamalan. I see there is a pattern here lately lol

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  • 1 year later...
Nicholas Stoller to Rewrite ‘Uptown Saturday Night’ for Warners (EXCLUSIVE)
Film being developed as a starring vehicle for Denzel Washington and Will Smith
In an effort to fast-track its remake of the 1970s Bill Cosby-Richard Pryor comedy “Uptown Saturday Night,” Warner Bros. has hired “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” helmer Nicholas Stoller to do a rewrite on the script.
Adam McKay is on board to direct, and Warner Bros. intends to develop the film as a starring vehicle for Will Smith and Denzel Washington (pictured).
Smith and his Overbrook Entertainment partner James Lassiter are producing and have been developing the project for some time, but the producers haven’t been able to juggle the stars’ schedules and get the script to the right point.
Sources tell Variety that McKay wants this to be his next film, and Smith and Washington are committed to getting the film off the ground, with a summer shoot being eyed. Both stars must be on board with the latest draft or it’s a no-go.
Stoller hopes to a deliver a draft in the next month.
The original film follows two friends who sneak out to visit a high-class but illegal club and trouble follows. Timothy Dowling wrote the most recent draft. Jesse Ehrman is overseeing for the studio.
The UTA-repped Stoller most recently helmed “Neighbors,” starring Seth Rogen and Zac Efron, which bows May 9, 2014.
Edited by Ale
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  • 4 months later...
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I would love too see that one ... or American Can ... or Selling Time ... or Brilliance ... or Bad Boys 3 ... or one of the hundred other movies Will's been attached to that don't involve his son.

I guess what lends credence to this project is Will's cameo in Anchorman 2. It was probably an indication of McKay and Will willing to work together.

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Will and Denzel doing a movie would be a dream come true

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  • 4 months later...
Interview with Denzel Washington:
When asked if he wants to take on more comedic roles, Washington not only replied with a resounding “yes,” he said that he’s had a script for a remake of the 1974 comedy starring Bill Cosby and Henry Belafont. It follows Steve Jackson and Wardell Franklin on a quest to find Jackson’s wallet, which has a winning lottery ticket and was stolen when the friends went to a nightclub the night before.

“I definitely have [considered more comedic roles], you know? And that’s something I’m always on the lookout for. Yes, absolutely want to do more,” Washington wrote. “I actually have a script for a remake of UPTOWN SATURDAY NIGHT that Will Smith wants to put together, that’s been written and that we’re talking about. You can hit Will up and ask him what he’s waiting for.”
Edited by Ale
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