There is a lot of effort in Hollywood these days to be more inclusive and diverse. One of the many ways that is happening is with remakes that are written to have women in the roles that were originally played by men, and men in the traditionally female roles. The 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters is one recent example. While it can be a controversial move that not everyone agrees with or likes, there are several more reboots like this in the works. Ocean’s Eight is being made with a group of women and a version of Splash is planned with a merman meeting a human woman. Another scheduled remake with a gender twist is Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, titled Nasty Women.
The original Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, itself a remake of a film called Bedtime Stories, was released in 1988. It starred Michael Caine and Steve Martin as con-men; Caine’s character was classy and well-spoken, where Martin’s was crass and brash. Finding themselves in the same territory, they make a bet over who can con a beautiful young woman, with the loser leaving town. The original film, despite focusing on the men, had a fun twist ending that was actually rather progressive and feminist for the time.
Now Rebel Wilson is slated to star in the remake, where the different con-artists are women. According to THR, Anne Hathaway is now in talks to co-star with Wilson. Aside from changing the genders of the con-artists, their target is now a male tech-prodigy. Hathaway, as it were, is already part of the Ocean’s Eight cast and she can also be seen in The Shower, which was written by Nasty Women writer Jac Schaeffer.
While there is no information yet about the difference between the characters in Nasty Woman, they probably won’t be exactly the same as the original movie. Both Hathaway and Wilson are around the same age, whereas Michael Caine is twelve years older than Steve Martin, so it is unlikely that the age gap will be as important in the new film as it was in the original.
The nationality of the characters might also be a factor, Caine and Martin used their natural accents, making their characters British and American like they are. If Nasty Women does the same thing, then it might mean Wilson will play an Australian character. Judging by their past roles, it’s likely that Hathaway would play the more refined con-woman, while Wilson would be the rude and boorish grifter. However, the remake might give the characters entirely new differences than the original film had.
Keep checking in with Screen Rant for the latest news about Nasty Women.
Source: THR