The Thin Man – based on the Dashiell Hammett novel of the same name – is one of those films that I could watch every week, it’s so good. The effortless chemistry between the leads (William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles) and the ahead-of-its-time sense of humor make it one of the greatest detective films ever.
Now, some seventy-seven years after the original saw the light of day, Hollywood is determined to remake it – because that’s just what Hollywood does! Johnny Depp has officially been cast as Nick Charles and Rob Marshall (Chicago, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) is set to direct.
Check out the press release below, courtesy of Warner Bros.:
Rob Marshall and John DeLuca have officially signed on to the Warner Bros. planned remake of The Thin man. The pair will produce the film via their Lucamar Productions banner. Award-winning director Marshall is also confirmed to direct. The film will reteam Marshall with Johnny Depp, who is attached to star in the project. The two just worked together on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides which Disney will be releasing on May 20.
Lucamar Productions joins Infinitum Nihil Company and Langley Park Pictures as production companies on the project. In addition to DeLuca and Marshall, Johnny Depp and Christi Dembrowski are producing on behalf of Infinitum Nihil, and Kevin McCormick is producing on behalf of his Langley Park Pictures. Jerry Stahl is attached as screenwriter. Says Marshall, “John and I are overjoyed at the idea of working with Johnny again, especially on such a classy and classic project. We are also thrilled to be partnering this time with such wonderful producers as Christi Dembroski and Kevin McCormick, and we are looking forward to working with Warner Bros. to create a reinvention of a beloved story.
Arguably, Rob Marshall and company could be adapting the book that The Thin Man was based on, thus eliminating its remake status – but my assumption is that this film will have more in common with the movies (there’s like six of them) that were so popular way back when. It wouldn’t be an entirely unwelcome idea, if not for Hollywood’s lousy remake record. Marshall’s track record is also mixed – though, we’ll see about On Stranger Tides soon enough.
Having said that, we could certainly do worse than Johnny Depp as Nick Charles. Despite the fact that Depp is in way too many movies nowadays, he’s about as close to a perfect modern fit for Nick as there is. Sly, bumbling, physically un-threatening, sarcastic, and sometimes hilarious. The only question that remains now, in terms of casting, is who will be playing the equally important Nora Charles?
No word yet on when shooting will begin for The Thin Man or when the film will be released.
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