Surely we don’t need another Bridget Jones film. That kind of logic seems to be at the edge of reason (guffah, guffah). But seriously. Okay, nevermind, I’ll just report the news.
Paul Feig, long-time Judd Apatow co-hort and recent star director of the summer’s breakout hit Bridesmaids, is in talks to take on the third film the series based on the novels by Helen Fielding. The British writer also wrote the screenplays to the 2001 and 2004 films, both starring Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant. Both films are Pride and Prejudice-y in plot (Firth’s character is named Mark Darcy, after all), while the second film jumps the shark in so many ways it hurts to recall. Note: anytime your main characters are in a foreign prison because of their crazy antics, your narrative has most likely taken a wrong turn (see Ocean’s Twelve).
Though there’s no third book to run off of, Fielding has had a script that’s been picked at for a while, this time concerning Miss Jones’ desire to have a child. And though Zellweger is in her 40s now, picturing her with the faux-British accent and baby complaining doesn’t feel too far off, it must be said. Furthermore, Feig would appear the perfect candidate for the job, as his comedy has single-handedly reminded viewers what real women look and talk like. Now there’s just the matter of Firth and Grant’s ever-increasing asking prices and Zellweger’s wane of fame to deal with. [The Playlist]
Speaking of fame that’s waxing rather than waning, Bridesmaids break-out Melissa McCarthy and Super 8 break-out Ryan Lee (the pyromaniac kid) have joined Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up spin-off This Is Forty, starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann as the jilted married couple from the Seth Rogen/Katherine Heigl hit. [THR]
McCarthy will be playing Lee’s mother, while Lee will play one of Rudd and Mann’s kid’s school friends. Albert Brooks will play Rudd’s father and Megan Fox will play something else. Best guess: a source of temptation for Rudd, begging the question, is Fox the next Eva Mendes? Fox also has a role in the upcoming Friends With Kids as what may well be the exact same character.
Do we need another Bridget Jones? Are you more excited for Apatow’s next with Ryan Lee and McCarthy on board?