A remake of the classic car comedy The Cannonball Run has been in the works for years, once with Guy Ritchie planning to bring his Snatch star Brad Pitt to be part of the celebrity-packed cast. But obviously that never got out of the starting gate, and Warner Bros. has decided to try again, this time with Get Hard director, Etan Cohen.
Cohen, who also wrote Tropic Thunder and Idiocracy, is in talks to write and direct a franchise relaunch of The Cannonball Run, titled simply Cannonball. Warner Bros., who just acquired the franchise rights, don't want this called a remake of Hal Needham's 1981 comedy that starred Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Jackie Chan, and more as racers in an illegal cross-country race. A sequel was released in 1984 and an atrocious third film titled Speed Zone in 1989 that Burt Reynolds refused to be a part of.
Back when Ritchie was on board the plan was to take the action to Europe, but we don't know what Cohen's approach will be. Over the years Cohen has worked with the likes of Ben Stiller (who was attached to Ritchie's version, as well), Robert Downey Jr., Kevin Hart, Tom Cruise, Will Ferrell, Will Smith, and more. Don't be surprised if he starts flipping through the Rolodex to call some of them up for this one, as well. [Deadline]
