The English-language remake of hit 2016 German film Toni Erdmann is still in production, but with some major changes, according to The Wrap.
The film was originally set to star Jack Nicholson as the errant, somewhat-deranged father to Kristen Wiig‘s joyless daughter, but that is no longer the case. Nicholson has dropped out of the film, which would have been his first project since 2010’s team-up with frequent collaborator James L. Brooks on comedy How Do You Know.
In addition to that, Lisa Cholodenko is now stepping up to direct the project. She was already penning the script for the adaptation, but will now helm the film. Cholodenko previously directed the Oscar-nominated The Kids Are All Right. It’s unclear whether the in-house changes and possible script tweaks led to Nicholson opting out, though he had been on the fence ever since development began.
Wiig will also serve as producer on the film, a role that was also previously held by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner until earlier this spring, when they dropped out of the project. Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Jessica Elbaum are also on board as producers.
It’s unclear how much these changes will affect the development of the remake, as it seems to have been rolling along relatively slowly even before this announcement. Hopefully now with Cholodenko confirmed as director, the project can have a little more direction.
The first hurdle to overcome now is finding a replacement for Nicholson, which shouldn’t be too hard considering the role should be much sought-after after the original film was very successful outside of its native Germany, even getting nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award.
#Peace.Love.ToniErdmann
