Backstage backstabbing ahoy! Soap opera satire Soapdish has apparently fallen under the beady gaze of Paramount’s development executives (or should that be RE-development executives?) and is now being lined up as a likely remake candidate with Rob Reiner overseeing it as a producer.
Soapdish, which did moderate rather than spectacular box office business back in 1991, followed the antics on the set of a popular, fictional US daytime drama called The Sun Also Sets. As is seemingly standard for this sort of production, it’s a seething hive of animosity and jealousy. Actress Montana Moorehead schemes against her co-star, Celeste Talbot, who has the public’s love and a bigger salary.
But her idea – to have Celeste’s character turned into an unlikeable murderer – misfires thanks to a comedy of errors. According to Pajiba’s often-reliable Hollywood Cog source, the new version will take place behind the scenes of a telenovela.
It’s certainly bristling with ensemble opportunities. The original film boasted a bevy of starring roles for the likes of Sally Field, Kevin Kline, Robert Downey Jr (that's him in the picture to the left), Cathy Moriarty, Elisabeth Shue, Whoopi Goldberg and Carrie Fisher. And while it’s hardly the same concept as the recently trendy vignette movies like Valentine’s Day or New York, I Love You, it still offers the chance to stuff the cast with stars. Or, if the studio's feeling the financial pinch, it could feature some younger, cheaper, up-and-comers.
Right now, the studio is simply interviewing writers to see who can make it work in the era endless Internet gossip, and there’s still every chance that it’ll quietly go away before it ever hits our screens.