If things work out how she wants, Tilda Swinton will be Auntie Mame.
The Oscar-winning British actress has been in Venice this week, plugging her new film, Luca Guadagnino’s I Am Love, and the Italian director told Variety that the duo plan to reteam on a remake of Auntie Mame, the 1958 Rosalind Russell-starring drama that was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.
"This is an SOS for Warner Bros. to give us the rights for this remake, which only Tilda could do justice to," he said.
If Warners relent, then Swinton would take the title role once played by Russell; that of an eccentric and fast-living socialite whose life is transformed when her ten year-old nephew is placed in her care.
Russell was nominated for an Oscar for her feisty, funny performance, and the hope for Swinton is that she can repeat the trick. Guadagnino also mentioned that the remake will be set in the present day and will be a "rock-n-roll, super funny, super mainstream movie."
Swinton may have an Oscar to her name, and she’s certainly done super mainstream movies in the past, like Constantine and both Narnia films, but she’s known as an arthouse actress, with precious little box office power, so it’ll be interesting to see if Warner Bros. do take a punt on Auntie Mame.