Deadline is reporting today that Warner Bros. is slowing down their remake of the classic mystery film The Thin Man. The film has not been greenlit yet, but the studio apparently had enough concern over it to warrant a little retooling.
The main reason behind the studio’s actions is thought to be budget issues as the price tag has gone over $100 million. Similar concerns have led to the retooling of some of the studio’s other projects like Arthur & Lancelot and Akira.
For those of you not familiar with the original 1934 film, it follows “Nick and Nora Charles, a former detective and his rich, playful wife, [who] investigate a murder case mostly for the fun of it.”
The remake was set to star Johnny Depp as Nick and was to be directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha). It was still early in development with no actress having been cast yet as Nora, though we did know of several actresses who were up for the part including Rachel Weisz and Carey Mulligan.
It is thought that Marshall will now move onto his next film entitled Into the Woods, a musical fantasy for Disney, and will perhaps come back to The Thin Man after.
The interesting thing is that Warner Bros. supposedly denies that there is any drama going on, so who knows what this means for the future of the project. The original film was a fun and engaging mystery with some great performances from William Powell and Myrna Loy. A remake could be interesting, particularly with Depp’s ability to play quirky characters, but do we really need yet another remake? Not really.
Depp seems to have been stuck with a lot of budget issues lately. The bland Dark Shadows underperformed with a budget of $150 million and his current project, The Lone Ranger, already has monetary problems. Hopefully he won’t let this deter him as it seems like it’s been awhile since he’s made a good movie. Let’s hope that he’s able to get something good out soon, whether it turns out to be one remake or the other.
Do you think we really need a remake of The Thin Man? If so, who do you want to see as Nora? Let us know in the comments!