'School for Scoundrels' remake on the way

The bloke behind 'Road Trip' is planning to remake a bone fida British classic, and Time Out isn't happy.

Aug  3 2005

It had to happen sooner or later, but we're nevertheless dismayed to report that Hollywood is planning a remake of comedy classic 'School for Scoundrels'.

'Road Trip' and 'Starsky & Hutch' alumni Scot Armstrong and Todd Phillips are currently working on the script, while Billy Bob Thornton and 'Napoleon Dynamite' himself, John Heder, have signed up to star.

But when the original is as perfectly formed as Robert Hamer’s 1959 comedy, it begs the question, why bother?

Loosely based on Stephen Potter's book 'One-Upmanship: Being Some Account of the Activities and Teachings of the Lifemanship Correspondence College of One-Upness and Games Lifemastery', the film was an education in how to get one up on your opponent, especially in matters of love.

Cruel, nasty and very, very funny, it featured grandstanding performances from Alistair Sim, Ian Carmichael and 'king of the cads' Terry-Thomas, and contained a tennis match that may well be the funniest scene ever committed to celluloid.

Armstrong and Phillips' version, meanwhile, will revolve around Heder's character attending confidence classes to win the heart of a girl, only to discover that his teacher (Thornton) just happens to be on the trail of the same lovely lady.

The remake is set to go into production early in 2006, but rather than wait for its release next summer, we recommend simply seeking out the original right now!

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