Last year, Rob Marshall and Johnny Depp teamed up to make over a billion dollars worldwide with "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides." One would expect their next collaboration, a remake of "The Thin Man," to be a sure thing. However, Warner Bros. has reportedly balked at the update and pulled the plug on it for the time being.
At this point, the film hadn't been given a green light, and only Depp and Marshall are attached. A budget was recently submitted, and its high cost is said to have been a factor. In Hollywood, stars and talent are sometimes only as good as their last outing, and it's possible that Warner Bros. is still reeling from the underperformance of "Dark Shadows."
That film updated something in the public consciousness about 40 years ago; Dan Curtis's soap opera series wrapped up its first run in 1971. "The Thin Man," however, is even older. Dashiell Hammett's original novel was published in 1934 before it was adapted as a series of movies that stretched into the late '40s. Hollywood likes to recycle properties, but this one's been moribund for quite a while.
The films follow the exploits of husband and wife detective team Nick and Nora Charles, originally played by William Powell and Myrna Loy. Depp is going to play Nick in the new film, but the role of Nora hasn't been filled. It still may very well be at some point, as "The Thin Man" remake doesn't seem to be dead -- just in stasis at this point.
Depp's desire to take some time off between projects is also cited as one reason for the remake's delay, but it's still interesting to note that this is the second high-profile project for the actor that hit a snag on its way to production. "The Lone Ranger" also had its plug pulled due to budget concerns before being green-lit by Disney. Both films seem to indicate anything touched by Depp isn't considered to be gold by these studios.
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