Is it time enough to remake this film??? - The Odd Couple (1968) Discussion

[–] telly-productions 19 years ago

Id not curse it with Ben Stiller... but I've been casting the film myself and actually puttering with the original play script...

Felix Ungar...........JAMES MARSTERS (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel)
Oscar Madison.........
Speed.................JERRY STILLER (Seinfeld, King of Queens)
Murray................?????????????
Vinnie................JORGE GARCIA (Lost, Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Roy...................KRISTIN BELL (Veronica Mars, Reefer Madness)
Cecily................?????????????
Gwendolyn.............?????????????

My script has Oscar, Felix and MOST of their buddies as 20-30 somethings, with Speed being a 70-something neighbor.

Former newleywed Felix Ungar's life is destroyed when his wife leaves him. Despondent, depressed, and fanatical, Felix decides to kill himself. After numerous failed suicide attempts (none of which are suitable to him), he moves in with his best friend from high school, Oscar Madison. His presence in Oscar's life proves just as disruptive as it did in his married life, and soon these best friends are at each others necks. The final straw comes when Oscar drags Felix to his favorite strip club hoping to patch the growing rift between them -- Felix ends up bringing Gwen and Cecily, the two strippers they've hired for the evening, to tears with his life story.

The "cardboard" poker buddies are fleshed out a bit more in my script, and we see them outside of the poker game. I wanted an older Speed to bring some perspective to the lot. A female player (I'm guessing Roy) brings a touch of diversity to the lot. Unlike the 1960s, families are staritng to form when people are in their 30s, not their 40s. Oscar is technically a deadbeat dad, never paying child support to the mother of his baby (they never married).

Lemme know what you all think of this, as this is a work-in-progress.

Telly

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[–] AppleJax 19 years ago

I have no objection for remakes of crappy films. This film was not crappy, thus a remake isn't needed. Why the hell do people think remakes are needed for many of the classic films?

Owen Wilson & Ben Stiller??? Give me a break!!

"Keep Ted Turner and his goddamned Crayolas away from my movie."--Welles

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[–] petranic 18 years ago

There just shouldn't be a remake of this classic. It'd end up like the remake of "Bedazzled" which just didn't work and was nothing compared with the original. Not just the class of Lemmon and Matthau, but how could you top Neal Hefti's music from '68? No...just say no to any thoughts of a remake. Go and shoot something original.

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[–] Felix-and-Oscar 18 years ago

"I think (The Odd Couple) could be a pretty good vehicle for Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller. At least Ben Stiller as Felix.

Where do you live? I want to make sure I'm far away when the lightning bolt hits you!

Can two divorced men share an apartment without driving each other crazy?

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[–] Bruce_McGivern 18 years ago

"The ONLY two actors who could pull off a remake are Nathan Lane and
Matthew Broderick."

Completally agreed!

Expert topic killer
28:6:42:12

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[–] graemeomeara 18 years ago

Owen Wilson, are you insane. OWEN WILSON. What kind of actors do you watch. No-one in the world could redo Lemmon and Matthau legacy.

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[–] Allie-18 18 years ago

Why bother? They're remaking movies all the time but once the memory of the remake has faded, the original is always the one people remember. Think of the film Psycho and which one springs to mind first? The Hitchcock original or Gus Van Sant's remake?

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[–] Stigler 18 years ago

it was "remade" into a tv show, but an actual remake should be made after the remake trend has long died out

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[–] gofer2004 18 years ago

If the film is remade which I find likely, it will definately be Lane and Broderick playing Oscar and Felix.

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[–] bunny226622 18 years ago

Eww! I hope never. Whenever they do a remake they turn it into crap. Are we forgetting the recent remake of "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" re-done as "Deeds" with Adam Sandler? It's not a really bad movie, it's just not a very good one, either. Why change something that is perfect as it is?

Oh my god, the turkeys are hitting the ground like sacks of wet cement!

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[–] jaldridge86 18 years ago

Ok guys, this is a long shot, but I've been thinking about it since this summer. But I think "Three's Company" alums, Don Knotts & Norman Fell, would have been GREAT on broadway in "The Odd Couple"!! Imagine, for some it maybe and hard prospect to get used to, but if you think, you can just see it. Don would play Felix, & Norman would play Oscar. Norman fits the part, Don takes a little getting used to but you see it. OH, WOULD COULD HAVE BEEN.....

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[–] ribarproductions 18 years ago

"Don Knotts",...now that could be a real challenge,...after all, it's not easy getting a box of ashes to learn dialog.

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[–] d-nowacki 16 years ago

bravo, that would be awesome. roper could do his eye squint and firley could bug out
_______________
Wooo, movies.

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[–] indianpooka 18 years ago

I heard recently a remake is planned. Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane are set to star. Their production of "The Odd Couple" will first debut on Broadway, and then I heard they plan to work on the theatrical version. Hope this helps all you fans of the original. :)

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