Grumpy Old Men is getting dug up from the grave for a second life. Deadline reports that Dan Gregor and Doug Mand are currently scripting New Line’s remake of Grumpy Old Men.
Eddie Murphy is attached to the project in one of the lead roles, and Samuel L. Jackson is currently circling the other role. Tim Story (Ride Along, Shaft, Fantastic Four) is set to direct.
The original 1993 comedy’s synopsis went like this: “Two lifelong neighbors (Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau) who’ve been feuding since childhood find their dislike for each other exacerbated by the presence of a new neighbor (Ann-Margret) who leaves each of them smitten.”
Grumpy Old Men is one of those movies where I watched it when I was way too young, and therefore didn’t pick up on half the jokes and hated it. When I finally got around to watching it as a teenager/young adult I laughed my ass off. It’s a great premise that worked because of the comedic talents of Lemmon and Matthau, who by 1993 had starred in a handful of projects together.
On one hand, I don’t think Grumpy Old Men needs a remake. On the other, I’m desperate to see Murphy back in a comedic role. If the remake can manage to score the laughs and the friendly feud of the original, then this might be worth a shot. Let’s just hope it goes a bit better than the recent remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (did anyone even see The Hustle?).
What say you? Would you like to see a Grumpy Old Men remake starring Murphy and Jackson? Or would you rather the two team up for Coming 2 America?
