The Intouchables was released three years ago and quickly became an international phenomenon, voted "the cultural event" of the year in France and earning Omar Sy a Cesar Award for his performance. The film chronicles the unlikely friendship between a wealthy quadriplegic and his spirited Senegalese caretaker. The news of Hart's casting was apparently revealed by Olivier Nakache, a co-director on the original film.
What's still unclear is who will be behind the camera. Feig worked on the screenplay and was circling the directing job for awhile but never seemed to commit. It was Tom Shadyac (Bruce Almighty) who looked to be the frontrunner as of last year but nothing has been heard since. If the main cast is now in place presumably we'll be hearing more about Weinstein's plans for The Intouchables soon, but it would seem that casting Hart would remove the story's pointed commentary on immigration. But that's okay because we'll get to see what Hart can do with this scene...
