MovieChat Forums > The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) Discussion > If this film was re-made now...

If this film was re-made now...

posted 15 years ago by Bevo74
5 replies | jump to latest

Who would you hire to write it, and who would you hire to direct it?
The way I see it, it needs to have a faithful interpretation of the novel (which I am currently adapting into a screenplay just for fun). However if you have read Wolfe's original novel then you would know that it has TONS of valuable information and content. Thus, it is a real challenge to adapt.

But as for writers, I would choose none other than Buck Henry to adapt it. He is fantastic with satire and deplorable characters (The Graduate, Catch-22, To Die For).

As for directors, I would choose either Mike Nichols (who always works well with Buck Henry), Sam Mendes, or Milos Forman (think of the tone of Forman's "The Firemen's Ball" meeting the tone of Forman's "Amadeus" set in mid-1980s New York City) among many others.

Who do you think should direct and/or write?

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Hollywoodwhore99 15 years ago

David Mamet, Ted Tally or Alan Ball to write it. Sam Mendeds or Todd Field, to direct it.

To do justice the film needs to be a HBO mini series.

[–] tfilm78 15 years ago

I don't think De Palma's film was as unfaithful to the novel as some people suggest.

No, other than McCoy running into Fallow, and the latter subsequently trying to clear his name, it stuck pretty close to the novel. What was missing was everyone's ulterior motives. Sherman goes to his lawyer, who calls the police, and informs him he is going to be arrested. The film shows none of the loyalty among Irish cops, and their reasons for letting him know, or the DAs reasons for wanting a perp walk and (IMHO) the cops reasons for wanting to let him turn himself in, like he wanted to.

And Fallow was completely wrong. He hits the right notes as far as plot mechanics, but casting an American completely negates the fact that he is an American-hating Brit who sees it as his obligation to part us Yanks from our money.

[–] KinksRock 14 years ago

The novel is begging for the Robert Altman treatment. Unfortuntely, Robert Altman is no longer with us.

If this film were made today, they'd give it to someone like Chris Columbus and he'd ruin it, too.

[–] Ribelin2000 10 years ago

PT Anderson as both writer and director.