With all the talk about “Uncut Gems” and possible Oscars recognition, many film fans might have forgotten that the Safdie Brothers were actually attached to another film before that. In fact, the film that the Safdies were signed on to develop is none other than a remake of the popular ‘80s buddy cop comedy, “48 Hrs.”
But according to a new interview with MovieWeb, the Safdies explained why they’re not working on that film anymore and how that experience taught them to stick with originals…for now.
“We wrote a few drafts with the studio and it became very clear that we don’t know how to do a remake,” said Josh Safdie. “We only know how to do our own ideas. The general structure kind of was there from the original, but the stuff that was taken from the original was my least favorite stuff.”
He added, “That project will be shifted into something original because there are some incredible things that came out of that writing process. So we’re talking to the studio now about doing that. But yeah, in terms of remaking stuff, [Martin] Scorsese, one of my favorite movies of Scorsese’s is a remake. ‘Cape Fear.’ They can be done, I just don’t know how to do it yet.”
The brothers did mention that another good remake is “Scarface,” from Brian De Palma because of how it took the original but added a new vision to the story. And for the Safdies, that’s the key to a quality remake.
READ MORE: The Safdie Brothers And Paul Thomas Anderson Talk Darius Khondji And ‘Uncut Gems’
“Like the idea of remaking a movie that’s known for its style makes no sense,” Josh Safdie continued. “You remake a movie that’s known for maybe its story. You know what I mean? So that you can tell it in a new way. But there are some remakes that are happening that are like, that movie is all about the voice of the filmmaker and the style.”
So, there you have it, “48 Hrs” by way of the Safdie Brothers is officially off the table. But after films like “Good Time” and “Uncut Gems,” let’s not be too heartbroken that the directors are going back to work on something original. And honestly, does the world need another “48 Hrs” (and yes, we’re aware there is actually a film called “Another 48 Hrs” and the world definitely didn’t need that)?