For several years, Paramount has held on to a script for a remake of The Gambler, debating whether to hold 'em or fold 'em. Back in 2011, Martin Scorsese was eyeing the project as yet another chance to work with Leonardo DiCaprio, before the director decided last year was the appropriate time to walk away, if not actually run. Then Hangover director Todd Phillips was attached to the project, before making the crucial mistake of misjudging when there would be time enough for countin'.
So, now the film—which is a remake of James Toback's 1974 autobiographical film starring James Caan as college professor with a self-destructive gambling habit, and sadly not a revival of Kenny Rogers' TV movies based on his 1978 hit of the same name—is in the hands of Rupert Wyatt (Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes), with Mark Wahlberg in the central role.
In the film, the titular gambler gets progressively deeper into debt—first to his girlfriend, then to his mother, then to some dangerous loan sharks. Those roles will now be filled out by Brie Larson, Jessica Lange, Michael K. Williams, and John Goodman round out the cast. We're guessing maybe Larson and Lange are the the loan sharks, Goodman's the girlfriend, and Williams is the mother? We'll have to wait until the film's release in 2015 to know for sure.