Last September we learned that Jason Bateman, then-fresh off his Emmy win for Ozark, was in talks to direct and star in Ryan Reynolds’ remake of Clue for 20th Century (née Fox, may it rest in peace). According to the latest update from Variety, Bateman’s commitments to the Netflix drama have taken him off the project, with James Bobin—director of The Muppets and (extremely mumbling) Alice Through The Looking Glass—now in talks to replace him. Reynolds has been developing a new iteration of Clue since 2018, when he enlisted Deadpool screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick to tackle the remake.
Directed by Jonathan Lynn, the original 1985 film remains one of the greatest comedies of all time, thanks in no small part to a meta-textual finale involving multiple endings, guided breathlessly by the great Tim Curry. As with its predecessor, 20th Century hopes to assemble a star-studded ensemble to appear opposite Reynolds, who will also produce the film via his Maximum Effort banner. Given the depth of his involvement (along with a script from Reese and Wernick), it’s safe to assume this Clue will retain the adult humor of the 1985 film—if nothing else, a refreshing change of pace for studio movies based on kiddie properties.