We all remember the 1988 comedy that starred Steve Martin and Michael Caine, and now, after months of rumors of a remake, the director has officially been chosen.
The original
Interestingly Dirty Rotten Scoundrels from 1988 was itself a remake of a 1964 Marlon Brando/David Niven comedy Bedtime Story. The amusing fact is that the original was a complete commercial flop, and the director Frank Oz decided to do a remake just because of that.
What made this remake special were the lead actors, Michael Caine who was the classy con man Lawrence Jamieson, and the unforgettable Steve Martin as the lowbrow huckster Freddy Benson. Those two made a bet that they can con a young heiress out of her money, with the other having to leave the town. This version surpassed everything its creators hoped for, reaching commercial as well as critical acclaim.
And now, in a proud Hollywood trend – this remake is getting a gender swap remake. Since we saw an all-female version of Ghostbusters, starring Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon, we keep expecting more of gender-swapped movies, and the Hollywood is not going to disappoint.
The new remake under the name Nasty Women will star Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson. For a long time, it was a question on who might direct this version, and now it is confirmed that director of it will be Chris Addison.
This is the second gender-swapped remake in the works now, after it was announced that the new version of fantasy-comedy Splash will star Channing Tatum as a mermaid (in original it was Daryl Hannah).
Also, in production is a gender-swapped version of the action movie Road House, starring Ronda Rousey, the mixed martial arts athlete in the role originally played by Patrick Swayze.
Nasty Women will mark Addison’s big-screen directorial debut. By his side, as the screenplay writer, he will have Jac Schaeffer.
Addison is best known for the work he has done on the small screen. He directed episodes of HBO’s Veep, and BBC’s The Thick of It. He also has upcoming projects that include NBC’s Playing House and Fox’s Fresh Off the Boat. In case you didn’t know, Addison is also an actor and a comedian, and he appeared on the cult British series Doctor Who, The Thick of It and Skins.
This British actor came to prominence playing Ollie Reeder in The Thick of It, a political satire that was created by Armando Iannucci, and later featured in the spin-off movie In the Loop. He was also a regular panelist on Mock the Week. Recently, Addison opted for being behind the camera.
So, it seems that Addison specializes in witty, dry comedy, which seems like it will be a perfect fit for Nasty Women. This will especially suit Wilson, who is known for portraying outrageous characters in cringe-worthy comedy films.
Addison’s arrival marks a reunion of the key members behind the comedy that never came to pass – The Shower. Schaeffer wrote the script about a baby shower that got upstaged by an actual and massive meteor shower. Hathaway was to star in this movie, and Addison was supposed to direct it. This project was picked up by Warners over a year ago and has come to a halt since.
We know very little about the plot specifics, but it’s believed that this version will gender-reverse the original, as the Nasty Women will follow two female scam artists, one high-class and the other low-rent, who compete to rid a naive tech prodigy of his fortune.
Hathaway will next be seen in the gender-swapped Ocean’s 8 next to Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, and Rihanna. Meanwhile, Wilson will next star in the third Pitch Perfect movie and is also linked to another remake, that of Private Benjamin.
This upcoming comedy is not the only adaptation of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. A stage musical version was opened on Broadway in 2005 and transfered to the West End in 2014. The success of the musical might be one of the reasons for MGM’s decision to do a remake.
The film was supposed to have a different name, but it was renamed Nasty Women, referencing reality star turned US president Donald Trump and his insult of Hillary Clinton that occurred during a televised debate in 2016. This phrase has since been reclaimed as a feminist rallying call, so it only makes sense to be used as a name for this upcoming comedy.
We just hope that the film will be a bit more than just a feminist pandering and that it will do right by the original with an occasional nod, while also being light-hearted and amusing.