Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, and Tracy Morgan have signed on to star in the American remake of** Death At A Funeral**. Yes, that Death At A Funeral. The British black comedy directed by Frank Oz that came out not even two years ago.
It was charming enough, and good enough to garner a three-star Empire review, but tanked in the States, with audiences unmoved by the prospect of a dark farce starring Matthew Macfadyen, his missus Keely Hawes, Alan Tudyk and Daisy Donovan.
There should be no fears about the remake suffering the same fate – although Rock has never really had a massive solo hit as a movie star (he took supporting roles in the likes of **Lethal Weapon 4 **and The Longest Yard), he’s still a huge attraction. Morgan, so wonderful as batshit insane superstar Tracy Jordan on 30 Rock, is making a concerted effort to break into the movies with this and the Kevin Smith/Bruce Willis comedy, A Couple Of Dicks, while Lawrence’s comedic stylings may leave us cold, but he can put bums on seats.
And they’ll be backed up by a wonderful cast, including Danny Glover, James Marsden, Zoe Saldana, Regina Hall and Columbus Short, while the ever-versatile and surprising Neil LaBute, who directed Rock in the underrated **Nurse Betty **back in 2000, will call the shots on another dark, acerbic comedy.
Rock will play the Macfadyen role, as a decent man trying to organise his father’s funeral, only to be waylaid by a series of outrageous occurrences and his dysfunctional family. He’ll also co-produce the movie and co-write the screenplay, along with Aeysha Carr.
Filming will begin in the spring, with Screen Gems and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment stumping up the readies.
So, readers – baffled by this? Is it too soon to remake a film that’s barely out of nappies? Or, like Empire, are you excited by the combination of such great comic talent (and Martin Lawrence), and a very different take on material that was decidedly British? Leave your thoughts below.