Brewster’s Millions To Be Remade

Brewster’s Millions, which modern audiences know best as a terrific Richard Pryor vehicle from 1985 (directed, somewhat surprisingly, by Walter Hill), is getting another airing. Which shouldn’t come as any great surprise really, as when we say another, we mean that this will be the *eighth time the story has been adapted for the screen, making it pretty much the Groundhog Day of movie remakes (which gives us an idea).

The reason for the constant upgrades is that George Barr McCutcheon’s original story has two elements which Hollywood can’t get enough of: a madcap conundrum (in the Pryor version, Brewster must spend $30 million in 30 days within a number of limitations, including not being able to tell anyone about this condition in order to receive his full inheritance of $300 million), and a strong moral backbone. Both elements are timeless, ergo both elements can be endlessly updated.

According to The Hollywood Reporter{ =nofollow}, the writing team chosen for this latest interpretation is the largely untested duo of Matthew Sullivan and Michael Diliberti, who presumably have the gig thanks their spec script Comic-Con, which is also currently in development. But the big question for them on Brewster is, which way are Warners intending to take the story? First guess would be that they’ll simply contemporise it once again (expect Brewster’s Billions), although the society of the original 1902 setting is now sufficiently alien and interesting that they just might choose to make a period version. No other details - not director, not cast, not release date - yet. We shall see...

*A Hollywood screenwriter is trying to come up with a completely original screenplay. Every time he includes an idea which isn’t, his life resets itself back to the day he started the script. (And yes, we appreciate the irony on display here.) And if you write this, we want a credit.