Back in September, it was revealed that Jason Bateman had been signed to star in and direct a new version “Clue,” based on the board game of the same name that inspired an underrated comedy film in 1985. And adding to the intrigue, it was also announced that Ryan Reynolds would likely headline the film. Alas, Bateman’s involvement wasn’t meant to be, as the actor-turned-filmmaker was forced to leave the development of the film.
According to a new interview with Collider, Bateman opened up about the situation that surrounded his decision to walk away from “Clue.” And thankfully, there’s no mystery involving candlesticks and murder at the center of the issue. Instead, it’s just good ol’ fashioned scheduling. You see, Bateman is also the star and occasional director on the Netflix drama, “Ozark,” and he’s only human.
“[‘Clue’ is] something that we were getting very close to starting, but as it turned out something of that size takes much, much longer to do than what the seasonal hiatus was able to accommodate,” Bateman explained. “It would have pushed back the start of this season too far. So, unfortunately, I had to step off of that.”
That being said, the actor-filmmaker did offer up some hope, if only a little.
“But if it’s still around when ‘Ozark’ is all wrapped up, I’d love to do it,” he added. “But who knows, they might put a different director on it before then. We’ll see. Unfortunately my ability to direct features really kind of—there’s a certain size of a film that I just can’t qualify for [right now] because of the amount of time that I’m able to give in prep, in shooting, and in post.”
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So, it appears that Bateman’s involvement in the eventual “Clue” remake is likely not going to happen anytime soon, if at all. With “Ozark” continuing to gain in popularity on Netflix, it’s unlikely that the streaming service is going to cancel it. Plus, in February, it was reported that director James Bobin has been looked at as a possible replacement for Bateman.
For now, it appears that one mystery surrounding the “Clue” remake has been solved.