Any serious attempt to remake The Princess Bride would probably be an, uh, inconceivably bad idea, so fans can rest easy knowing that Quibi’s forthcoming “remake” is very much…not that. Instead, as Vanity Fair reported last week, it’s an extremely silly parody filmed entirely in quarantine, complete with DIY costumes, constant character swaps, a corgi standing in for the Rodent of Unusual Size, and virtually every celebrity you can think of.
“I just thought, Can we remake an entire movie at home? And I had seen that a fan-made Star Wars had been done,” director Jason Reitman (Juno, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) told Vanity Fair. “I just started reaching out to actors I knew, saying, ‘Is this something you’d want to do?’ And the response was kind of immediate and fast. It was like, ‘Oh—that sounds like fun.’”
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The stars who’ve signed on so far include Josh Gad, Common, Tiffany Haddish, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Garner, Sam Rockwell, Leslie Bibb, Neil Patrick Harris, David Burtka, Chris Pine, Annabelle Wallis, Joe Jonas, Sophie Turner, Lucas Hedges, Jenna Ortega, David Oyelowo, Jack Black, Diego Luna, J.K. Simmons, Andy Serkis, Elijah Wood, Beanie Feldstein, Dave Bautista, Dennis Haysbert, Taika Waititi, David Spade, Jon Hamm, Stephen Merchant, Mackenzie Davis, Nicholas Braun, Robert Wuhl, Don Johnson, Ari Graynor, Thomas Lennon, Brandon Routh, Courtney Ford, Zoey Deutch, Zazie Beetz, Patton Oswalt, Alice Oswalt, Rainn Wilson, Pedro Pascal, Jason Segel, Keegan Michael Key, Retta, Fred Savage, Catherine Reitman, and many more, including an as-yet-unrevealed Oscar winner who will deliver the infamous “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” line.
This isn’t an unauthorized (albeit affectionate) parody, by the way: Rob Reiner, the director of the original Princess Bride, not only gave Reitman his blessing, but also stars as the grandfather opposite Josh Gad as the little boy. Producer Norman Lear, William Goldman’s estate, and composer Mark Knopfler have all given the OK as well.
“If you already know the movie, that’s what makes it fun,” Reiner told Vanity Fair. “The audience already knows every line. I had no reservations. I was like, ‘Nah, let’s do it!’”
Three scenes so far have been released via Vanity Fair. Check them out below!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CB6e4b6pheX/
https://twitter.com/VanityFair/status/1276636744629321728
#ThePrincessBride: @JackBlack as Westley (a.k.a The Man in Black) and @diegoluna_ as Inigo Montoya.
Watch the full scene here: https://t.co/agQf7XpyB9 pic.twitter.com/vCveyFTmWF
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) June 26, 2020
The Princess Bride will be released in chapters on Quibi starting June 29, with the platform donating $1 million to the charity World Central Kitchen.
