In 1987, Rob Reiner released The Princess Bride, a gentle satire of fairy tales that formed a cult following of people who still quote it to this day. “Inconceivable!” “As you wish.” “My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!” And so on. The movie has definitely passed the test of time, and now, the streaming service Quibi is remaking it.
Or rather, it already remade it, with literally dozens of actors filming scenes at home during the coronavirus pandemic and then having director Jason Reitman (Juno, Up In The Air), with all proceeds going to help the World Central Kitchen charity, which has been helping restaurants stay afloat during the pandemic by paying them to provide meals for the needy. “ all donating their time,” Reitman told Vanity Fair. “They’ve been working tirelessly for the last two to three months to create an entire movie from scratch, just because. The money is for a good cause, and it’s fun to connect with a movie you love. In recreating it you get to feel a little bit of what it was like to make the original.”
And the cast truly is impressive. We’ve got Chris Pine, Common, Tiffany Haddish, Neil Patrick Harris, Hugh Jackman, Andy Serkis, Keegan-Michael Key, Elijah Wood, Sam Rockwell, Jack Black, Diego Luna, Taika Waititi, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Garner, Dave Bautista, J.K. Simmons, Patton Oswalt, Josh Gad, David Spade, Rainn Wilson, Pedro Pascal, Jason Segel, and original Princess Bride actor Fred Savage returning to the role of the kid who’s grandfather is reading him the story. Original Princess Bride director Rob Reiner is playing the grandpa.
“I wouldn’t think this is the best way to introduce someone to the film,” Reiner said. “If you already know the movie, that’s what makes it fun. The audience already knows every line. I had no reservations. I was like, ‘Nah, let’s do it!’”
And there are more stars that haven’t been unveiled yet, including at least one Oscar winner. Also in the mix is Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) and her husband Joe Jonas, who will be playing Westley and Princess Buttercup respectively.
This isn’t the first time these two have gender-swapped, either. Remember when he dressed up as Sansa for Halloween?
MOOD pic.twitter.com/EpKm7NpjlU
— J O E J O N A S (@joejonas) April 15, 2019
Anyway, everybody is leaning into the DIY nature of the project; shots won’t match, the costumes and props will be homemade…it’s all part of the charm.
Quibi, a phone-only streaming service that releasing content in 10-minute increments, will be putting out new chapters of the movie every day for two weeks starting tomorrow. This is definitely the best reason yet to get the service.
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