Pink Panther remake

[JustaFied]

Looks like they're doing a remake of the Pink Panther series, with Steve Martin now playing the role of Clouseau. Kevin Kline's now in the role of the police chief, and Beyonce will play a pop star (surprise!) who will be the love interest. Jean Reno will play Clouseau's sidekick.

Well, it's got to be better than the remake with Benigni, but still, Steve Martin's got some big shoes to fill. Why mess with the original? Nobody can replace Peter Sellers.

Some of the Pink Panther films were better than others, admittedly. At times, they relied too much on pure slapstick and physical comedy for my taste. But, "A Shot in the Dark" is one of my alltime favorite comedies; I don't think I've ever laughed harder than when watching this movie. If anyone here hasn't seen this movie, I highly recommend they find a copy and watch it. The ineptitude of Clouseau is genius.

[Johann]

This is bad news. BAD news.
Terrible casting -Steve Martin and Beyonce?
Hey Hollywood! Don't you think it's time to make something ORIGINAL for a change?

Sorry, but this movie is gonna suck. Big time.

[pmw]

Wow, bad idea. Sellers is Clouseau. What a joke. Next they'll be remaking Apocolyose Now with Ashton Kuscher, and the Olsen twins as Col Kurtz, the love interest.

But in all fairness, Martin was once funny...

[Johann]

Once upon a time Steve WAS great- a brilliant comedian. The Jerk, anyone? Even Kubrick wanted to work with him.

But he's fallen very far from the ha ha heights he once sat in...

"Bringing Down the House"? "Cheaper by the Dozen"?
He phoned those movies in.

[pmw]

I thought I saw flashes of Martin's old ways in LA Stories, which of course itself was about 10 years ago. I always wonder how certain actors go soft... Maybe it's an age/parenting thing... Let's hope that if he dares to attempt Clouseau, he'll do it with a healthy amount of respect for the original.

[HorseradishTree]

blasphemy...

[JustaFied]

Steve Martin's actually written a couple of books (novellas, if you will) in the last few years, both of which have gotten pretty favorable reviews. The last one was even written up in the New York Times Book Review section, which is usually considered an honor.

So why have his movie roles been so lame lately? Maybe he just needs the paycheck to pursue other interests. Who knows.

I still don't see him coming close to matching Sellers' wonderful Clouseau character. The thing that's so marvelous about Sellers is that he played it so straight. He played it dead-on serious. His Clouseau sees himself as a suave Frenchman, a seducer of the ladies, a talented detective. The rest of us see him as a buffoon. Steve Martin's acting style is more hyperactive; sometimes it seems like his character knows he's in a comedy and wants to be sure we all get the joke. I imagine he'll try to play up the suave side of the Clouseau character and he'll overdo it.