I was half expecting the idea of Russell Brand starring in a remake of the Dudley Moore flick Arthur to quietly disappear, but it seems Warner Brothers is keen to make the movie as they’ve now hired a director. Jason Winer, an actor and TV director who’s one of the key figures behind the new hit series Modern Family (and recently won a DGA Award for his work on the show), has been signed up for the film.
The original Arthur saw Dudley Moore playing a rich drunken playboy, whose family tell him that the only way he will inherit a vast fortune is if he marries the woman they deem suitable. While he’s initially willing to go along with this, he then who falls for a working class woman (Liza Minelli) and turns to his valet (John Gielgud) for help in sorting out the situation.
Although the film was a success and won two Oscars, it’s difficult to imagine a new version getting away with the fact that a lot of the humour is derived from the fact the main character is a barely functioning alcoholic.
Speculation is now likely to surround who will take over John Gielgud’s Oscar-winning role as the valet. There were some murmurings a few weeks ago that the studio was trying to get Meryl Streep, but as yet the role hasn’t been cast.