Tracy Morgan and Martin Lawrence Join 'Death at a Funeral' Remake
Filed under: Comedy, Gay & Lesbian, Casting, MGM, Scripts, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
Back in January, we all recoiled a little bit at the news that Neil LaBute was remaking Death at a Funeral -- a nice little British movie that only just came out in 2007, making a remake seem even more superfluous than they usually are. The fact that he was making it with Chris Rock made the whole thing seem even more cheesy. (Not that we don't like Rock ... it's just that we like him in original, edgy stuff.)Well, the remake just got a lot more over the top. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Martin Lawrence and Tracy Morgan have joined, along with Loretta Devine, Ron Glass, Danny Glover, Regina Hall, James Marsden, Zoe Saldana and Columbus Short. (Who wants to bet money that Marsden is the gay lover? Anyone? Anyone?)
It's keeping the exact same plot of misplaced cadavers, gay blackmail, hallucinogenic drugs, and family secrets, though Rock cowrote the script with Ayesha Carr, so we can expect some changes. It's just not clear yet what they might be ... but at least it probably won't involve bear suits or misogyny. I'm still not convinced this needed to be remade, but I suppose if you're going to do one, it ought to feature Danny Glover. Let's just hope Tyler Perry stays a million miles away from the set.
ETA: Yes, the title originally read Tracy Jordan. I watch way too much 30 Rock.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-08-2009 @ 5:25PM
Cincinnati Mike said...
But it was already a black comedy!
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3-08-2009 @ 5:30PM
icandigthat said...
I like how the headline says Tracy Jordan but the article uses Tracy Morgan. I have a hard enough time keeping track of which is his real name to begin with. Thanks for continuing to blur the line, cinematical.
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3-08-2009 @ 5:48PM
Jenn Brown said...
Yikes.
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3-08-2009 @ 6:58PM
Chelsea said...
How is it that there are many, many female directors who disappear after a financially successful first feature, and yet this no-talent assclown Neil BigBootay -- whose films lose money and who was nominated for a Razzie -- keeps getting work?
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3-08-2009 @ 7:42PM
Travis Tidmore said...
Why? The original was released in America, it was in English, and it was hilarious.
So why do we need a remake 2 years after the first one comes out?
It pisses me off, I don't care whose in it, this is a horrible idea.
Just go rent the original for crying out loud!
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3-08-2009 @ 7:52PM
Fuzzyfreaker said...
Yuck. The original was great, and this very sounds... just eesh.
Is it a requirement to have a Firefly cast member in each adaptation of this movie though? We had Alan Tudyk in the original, and now Ron Glass in here. Huh...
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3-08-2009 @ 11:51PM
will said...
Actually, I'd bet a bundle James Marsden is taking the Alan Tudyk role as the outsider meeting the family . . . for obvious reasons.
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3-09-2009 @ 8:17AM
Cincinnati Mike said...
By the way, while we're being all indignant...
Death at a Funeral was NOT a great film. It was a cute, pleasant little OK film...though Alan Tudyk and Peter Dinklage were great in it. But I am certain this new one will be no improvement.
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3-09-2009 @ 9:28AM
StanleyNickels said...
Ron Glass is damn smart casting if they have him playing the straight man.
As long as it's funny, I'm in.
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3-09-2009 @ 2:27PM
Prhime said...
funny movie. but the remake is designed to reach a wider audience. i am sure if you ask around not many people have seen/heard of this film (excluding those who would be readers of this or other similar sites).
i think the lineup could result in a funny movie as well.
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5-20-2009 @ 3:51PM
Jessica said...
I personally loved the original Death at a Funeral. Just when I thought things weren't going to get any crazier, they did. I also just loved Alan Tudyk in the movie, finally a fellow American actually did a decent British accent. So I don't see why they are doing a remake. While some of the people involved in the remake might be talented in their own right, their coming together in this particular project spells out nothing but doom to me. The whole point of the movie was that these stuffy British people were in an outlandish situation, and trying to mask their feelings in the funeral. I will not be in line to see this one, I will just watch the original over again, to apreciate its awesomeness. And yes, I DO think its great.
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