How the roundabout turns: almost four years ago, Brett Ratner announced he was attached to a project called Trump Heist, which saw a group of thieves targeting the famous business tycoon. It was to star a cast that included Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock and Ratner veteran Chris Tucker. But then things went awfully quiet. Then earlier this year, it caught fire again, was renamed Tower Heist and nabbed Ben Stiller to star. Guess what… Eddie Murphy’s back involved again.
Tower Heist is shifting the story to include the topical element of a crooked Wall Street type (Alan Alda) getting rich off the backs of the employees of a luxury apartment building, who is then convicted of running a fraudulent Ponzi scheme and sentenced to house arrest. Stiller, who happens to be the manager of the building, plots with some colleagues to rob the fat cat’s safe and get their life savings back.
Murphy has signed on to play a safe-cracking type who helps our heroes – but might not have their best intentions at heart.
The script has been through many writers in its long journey to the screen, with the current draft penned by Jeff Nathanson as a rewrite of Ted Griffin’s original work.
Here’s hoping it gives Murphy something decent and non-Shrek-related to appear in. We don’t need another Meet Dave. Or... shudder... Norbit…