Screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick offer an update on their remake of Clue under the direction of Ryan Reynolds. Reese and Wernick made a splash by releasing “Deadpool” in 2016, but before that they had been a creative team for many years, working together on Zombieland 2009 and G.I. Joe: Retribution. Since then, the duo has written scripts for films such as “Deadpool 2”, “Life” and “6 Underground”. Their newest project, “Spider’s Head,” starring Chris Hemsworth and Miles Teller, was recently released on Netflix.
The 1985 dark comedy “Hint”, based on the classic board game, featured actors such as Tim Curry, Madeleine Kahn, Christopher Lloyd and Leslie Ann Warren. At first it was met with mixed reviews and poor box office receipts, but in the decades since its release, it has become a cult classic. A remake has been announced, which has been in development since 2011. But it wasn’t until January 2018 that 20th Century Fox announced that Ryan Reynolds would star in the remake of Clue, and his longtime collaborators Reese and Wernick would write the script. Apart from talking about a couple of possible directors, little information has emerged since then.
In a recent interview with Discussing Film to promote Spiderhead, Reese and Wernick talked about the slow progress of their film Clue. They say they are very excited about the project, but the fate of the film is currently not in their hands. The script has apparently been completed and delivered to the studio, but mainly due to Reynolds’ busy schedule, making the film may take some time. Read the full comment below:
Q: Speaking about Ryan Reynolds, some time ago he mentioned that he hoped one day to make a movie “Hint”, in which he was supposed to play the main role. Would you both like this scenario to come true one day?
Rhett Reese: We’ve written a draft of Clue, and it’s still in development at Fox [20th Century Studios]. So this kind of push forward, whether it becomes a movie or not, is usually in the hands of the movie gods, not in ourselves. Therefore, we have done everything possible for this. We are proud of it. We like the franchise, and Ryan has a very busy schedule, so he has to choose from a variety of projects.
We’ll see if Clue comes to life, but it’s something we all really care about. It’s a funny old movie that I think has gone down in the memory of generations, but for people who remember it, it was a blast! We would like to try to bring it to life again.
The update should be somewhat comforting for those who are looking forward to the release of the film. There is a ready-made script and the studio has it, so the film is moving forward, albeit sluggishly. The cult status of Clue makes it a profitable project, so it is unlikely to be closed. Planning is probably going to be the biggest challenge. Reynolds is certainly busy, having released four films since 2021, not to mention he runs his YouTube channel and owns several companies like Aviation Gin. But if Reynolds is as passionate about the project as Reese and Wernick, then there are high hopes for a remake of “Evidence”.
Reese and Wernick are certainly used to waiting when it comes to their films. Their Netflix movie “Spider’s Head” took ten years to finally come to life. While technically Clue has been in development longer, Reese and Wernick have only been involved for about four years at the moment. It still seems that it is quite possible that the film will still be released, but fans, like the screenwriters, will have to wait and see.
