In what may be a harbinger of things to come,Will SmithandKevin Harthave signed on to star in Paramount’s remake ofJohn Hughes' 1987 comedyPlanes, Trains & Automobiles.
Steve MartinandJohn Candystarred in the original road trip movie as a mismatched odd couple who share a three-day odyssey of misadventures as they try to make their way home to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving.
Deadlinereports thatAeysha Carr(Brooklyn Nine-Nine)will write the script, and though the trade doesn’t elaborate regarding who will play which role, I imagine that Smith will play neal Page, the high-strung marketing executive originated by Martin, and Hart will play his annoying travel partner, Del Griffith.
Smith and Hart will produce via their respective companies Westbrook Studios and Hartbeat Productions along with Westbrook’sJon Moneand Hartbeat’sBryan Smiley.
I’m of two minds regarding this remake. On one hand, I was never a bigPlanes, Trains & Automobilesguy. I worship John Hughes, but I always preferred his high school movies. So I have no qualms with this remake – especially with these two leads. However, what this remake does is open the door for other Hughes remakes, which would be a very bad idea. I have no desire whatsoever to see a new incarnation ofThe Breakfast CluborSixteen CandlesorFerris Bueller’s Day Off. Those are untouchable comedy classics, so here’s hoping that the newPlanes, Trains & Automobilesdoesn’t spark a slew of Hughes remakes.
Carr is a veteran TV scribe whose credits includeEverybody Hates Chris,My Wife and Kids,The Carmichael ShowandRel. She was also a writer onBrooklyn Nine-Ninewho worked her way up to become a supervising producer on that sitcom. Carr also recently served as a writer and executive producer on the upcoming Hulu seriesWokestarringLamorne MorrisandSasheer Zamata. That show premieres next month, and I was really impressed by the trailer, which showed a lot of ingenuity and creativity.
ThePlanes, Trains & Automobilesremake still needs a director, and it may be a while before it comes together, given Smith and Hart’s busy schedules. Smithrecently signed onto star in Apple’s runaway slave thrillerEmancipation, whileHart will leadSTX’s superhero comedyNight Wolf. you can alsoclick hereto watch the action-packed trailer for Hart’s Quibi seriesDie Hart, which pairs him withJohn Travolta.
