2011's The Intouchables proved to be a huge hit in its native France and elsewhere, launching Omar Sy as a star to watch and naturally attracted potential remake attention. After a few false starts, The Weinstein Company has Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart in talks to play the leads.
Intouchables, as it was known in France, sees Francois Cluzet as Phillippe, a wealthy aristocrat who becomes a quadriplegic after a paragliding accident. When he needs to hire a caretaker and companion, he rejects the seemingly perfect candidates for a charismatic, but troubled young man from the projects.
The original is a great blend of pathos and comedy, and is one of those movies that does make you wonder whether it ever needs remaking. The likes of Paul Feig, Tom Shadyac and Colin Firth were all considering taking part at some point, but it hasn't quite come together in the past. Now, with Cranston and Hart close to agreeing and the search underway for a new director, it could finally take off.
Cranston, last seen in Trumbo and heard in Kung Fu Panda 3, has worked on TV movie All The Way and will be seen in Why Him?, The Infiltrator and Wakefield. As for Hart, he'll be starring opposite Dwayne Johnson in action comedy Central Intelligence, which is out on July 1.