Until production actually starts, it’s being reported that Rick Famuyiwa (of Dope and Confirmation fame) is now the latest name attached to direct the remake of 1974 buddy comedy Uptown Saturday Night for Warner Bros. Pictures with Kevin Hart starring.
Malcolm D. Lee was the last name brought up in 2013.
Will Smith and his Overbrook Entertainment partner James Lassiter are producing with Black-ish creator Kenya Barris writing the most recent draft of the script. For years, the project was developed as a possible starring vehicle for Smith and Denzel Washington, but busy schedules for both A-listers have forced Smith to serve as a producer on the project, opening the door for Hart to take the lead.
The 1974 original buddy comedy starred Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier as two estranged friends who have their wallets stolen at a nightclub. The next morning, they learn that one of their wallets contained a winning lottery ticket, and together, they set out to find it.
Kevin Hart and John Cheng will also produce through their HartBeat banner.
Famuyiwa, whose credits include The Wood, Dope and Confirmation, recently directed an episode of the highly anticipated Star Wars series The Mandalorian for Disney+.
