Apparently Hollywood has run out of script ideas because we will soon be seeing a remake of “Soapdish” on the big screen, courtesy of Paramount Pictures. The ensemble comedy with a stellar cast focused on the real-life drama that was happening behind-the-scenes on a successful soap opera set.
In the original, Sally Field was Celeste Tallbert, star of “The Sun Also Sets,” a Susan Lucci type soap opera superstar, whose deep dark secrets were far more interesting than her character’s. Kevin Kline played her once upon a time co-star and ex boyfriend Jeffrey Anderson, who apparently fathered her love child (played by Elisabeth Shue) who of course gets a supporting role on the soap. Robert Downey Jr., Whoopi Goldberg, Cathy Moriarity and Teri Hatcher round out the cast, playing writers and stars of the ratings-plagued daily program. “Soapdish” poked fun at the soap hysteria of the 1980’s and 1990’s, which has almost as much relevance today as a swing dance contest. Not sure that a soap set — as they are quickly a fading memory of daytime entertainment — is a great place for a comedy nowadays. That said, the project will now center around a Latin telenovela in an effort to contemporize the story.
Rob Reiner is set to produce, alongside partner and producer of the originally 1991 version, Alan Greisman. The two have worked together previously on “Alex & Emma” and “The Bucket List,” so this version could skew a bit more to the “It’s Complicated” crowd as opposed to “The Hills.” While Pajiba posits that this remake seems like a perfect way to capitalize on the success of ensemble star vehicles like “He’s Just Not That Into You” and “Valentine’s Day,” this writer thinks it’s a way to grab a more Latin based cast without having to resort to the family dramedy plot device once again. Adaptations of telenevolas have seen some success here in America (ie. “Ugly Betty”) and they tend to lie on the campier side, creating so much more possibility for hijinx.
The project is currently out to writers and there is no director or cast in place yet. Until then, you can check out the trailer for the original to give you a better idea of the camp we can expect.
