May 31, 2004
Oldman Joins Sandler For "The Longest Yard" Re-make?
Gary Oldman is in talks to join the remake of THE LONGEST YARD, starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock.
Sandler will take the role originally held by Burt Reynolds, that of former football player-cum-convict Paul Crewe that challenges prison guards to a football game. Oldman would play the warden.
Peter Segal will direct from a script by Sheldon Turner. Sandler is producing with Happy Madison partner Jack Giarraputo, Van Toffler, and David Gale. Michael Ewing is executive producing.
How in the hell do you make Adam Sandler an action hero without resorting to something like the failed "Bulletproof". Well Director Peter Segal whose handling the remake of the prison football drama "The Longest Yard" starring Sandler spoke about the challenge with About.Com and revealed some unexpected new information:
"[This has] much more action and drama than I've done, but still has comedy to it...Obviously remakes are not new. I felt much better about it when I realized it was 1974, 30 years ago. And again, that’s why ironically there are 30-year-old people who have never heard of it. I certainly wouldn’t want to make a movie that was done in the late ‘80s....It’s a choice one makes but I certainly think you’re in safer territory the further away you are from the original".
Sandler is now in busy preparation for the part - "He’s currently working out with Sean Salsbury, a 14-year NFL veteran quarterback. He’s training with him. We actually have a pretty intense basketball sequence in the movie. He’s working on that. And we’re writing into the story that he’s six years out of the pros, so a little rustiness is actually good for the character, but he is working on his skills right now very seriously".
Posted by MK Magazine at May 31, 2004 03:41 PM