Gender-Swapped SPLASH Remake (Channing Tatum to Star)

Producer Brian Grazer Says SPLASH Remake in the Works But with a Twist



Producer Brian Grazer just gave an interview to CNBC in which he confirmed a Splash remake is currently in development at Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment.

“I’m actually gonna do ‘Splash’ today,” said Grazer. “I’m actually going to do it from the point of view of… I can’t say anything about it. There’s a movie star involved, I haven’t announced it.”

1984’s mermaid-in-New York love story Splash not only marked him and director Ron Howard’s first out-and-out smash hit, it also made stars out of Tom Hanks and Darryl Hannah. The interviewer brought up Grazer’s original treatment for the film, titled “Wet,” which was told from the mermaid’s point of view as opposed to the human man.

“We’re going to do a version of that, but I can’t tell you the twist,” confirmed Grazer.

While he may not be able to say the twist, Comingsoon believes a script acquired by Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment in 2009 titled Merman might give us an idea of what that twist might be. The romantic comedy, written by Jennifer Abu Hollander and Jeff Moskowitz, follows a merman who comes to land so he can win back his mermaid fiancee, who has left him for a real man. So not only would the story be told from the point of view of a male mermaid, it would be a love triangle.

A Splash Remake is Coming, Says Producer Brian Grazer

 

Update: August 1, 2016

Channing Tatum, Jillian Bell to Star in Gender-Swapped SPLASH Remake



The reimagining of Splash is moving full speed. The 1984 sleeper hit film launched the stars of Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah, along with Imagine partners Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, the latter of whom hatched the idea for the fish wish-fulfillment story that Howard directed.

They’ve got an intriguing take: It’s being developed for Channing Tatum to take role that Hannah played, with Jillian Bell in the role that Hanks played. Deadline reports the pitch was hatched by Bell, who worked with Tatum in 22 Jump Street, most recently wrapped Office Christmas Party and next stars in Rock That Body.

They’ve hired Marja-Lewis Ryan to write the script. She most recently wrapped the Timur Bekmambetov-produced Liked, which she wrote and directed.

There might be some inevitable groaning about Hollywood running out of fresh ideas, but the twist on this fish tale sounds like a smart way of breathing life into a movie that came out 32 years ago and has a story strong enough to be reintroduced to a new audience.

‘Splash’ Remake Moving Forward; Channing Tatum and Jillian Bell Star; Grazer & Howard, Free Association Producing