Adam McKay may not direct a whole lot of features, but whatever comedies the Funny or Die co-founder has helmed usually turned into gold and that is partially why his latest project has us very excited. It will be a reboot of the 1974 comedy Uptown Saturday Night which set Sidney Poitier alongside Bill Cosby as two men hell bent on recovering their stolen lottery ticket.
While that is very big news in itself, Warner Bros. has two men in mind to take the starring roles: Will Smith and Denzel Washington. These are two men quite capable of delivering at the box office on their own, so the collaboration would undoubtedly mean a box office bonanza for the studio. On the other hand, there are questions as to if Washington could deliver in a comedy as the actor is best known for his dramatic performances. We know that Smith has the chops because most of his projects are filled with one-liners, but could the two have the chemistry needed to live up to what many consider to be a classic?
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though as this is far from final, and McKay is still in the ‘negotiation’ phase. This sounds like a home run for all parties involved, but then again so do a lot of projects that end up falling apart. Considering Uptown Saturday Night will not get off the ground until its director completes work on Anchorman 2, Smith might not be available for the movie at that time even though his production company developed the project. The actor has not been shy about his new found love for sequel efforts and Fox may want him for a pair of Independence Day sequels they have been planning.
[Deadline]