Content streaming service Quibi announced today that, starting next Monday, it’s going to be airing a remake of certified rom-com fantasy classic The Princess Bride. Well, sort of: Per Entertainment Weekly, the service has agreed to air—in its usual cut-up installments style—a star-studded “recreation” of the film, which was put together by a whole bunch of famous people currently living in self-isolation, who’ll be trading off parts as the movie goes on.
Who all’s participating in this extreme example of online self-filmed fun? Well, we’ve got Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas, of course—with Turner playing Westley and Jonas playing Buttercup, natch—plus Common and Tiffany Haddish, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, Hugh Jackman, Andy Serkis, Keegan-Michael Key, Elijah Wood, Beanie Feldstein, Jack Black, Diego Luna, Taika Waititi, Jon Hamm, Zazie Beetz, Patton Oswalt, Josh Gad, original director Rob Reiner, and of course Fred Savage, reprising his role as the grandson. (And that’s only a partial list; they really broke out the Rolodex for this one.) The whole project was masterminded by director Jason Reitman, who told Vanity Fair that, “The week that the stay-at-home order came through in California, I just woke up one of the first mornings, I think like most people did, feeling as though, All right, I need to be able to do something of value.’” Said thing of value, of course, being a filmed-at-home remake of The Princess Bride, where Sophie Turner’s corgi plays an R.O.U.S.
Not that we should probably be being such sourpusses about this whole thing; it’s all been put together in good fun, and Quibi’s Jeffrey Katzenberg purchased the rights to distribute it by making a million-dollar donation to the World Central Kitchen, so there’s the “for a good cause” box ticked. There are also plenty of good and goofy touches at work here, including Jennifer Garner playing both Buttercup and the old crone who dubs her the “Queen Of Putrescence,” and crowd scenes filled in with Lego actors. It’s fun! It’s a fun idea, executed by a bunch of people having fun. You can even watch Jack Black and Diego Luna having fun “together,” doing part of the lead-up to the Inigo/Westley fight.
It’s fun!