You’ve got hand it to Garry Marshall, or at least the agents surrounding this project, the director knows how to corral an ensemble comedy. Following on the heels of “Valentine’s Day” which included Julia Roberts, Ashton Kutcher, Anne Hathaway, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Patrick Dempsey, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Anne Hathaway, Topher Grace, Queen Latifah, Taylor Swift, Taylor Lautner and more, Marshall has scored another name brand cast for his follow-up project and spiritual sequel/re-do in another holiday setting, “New Year’s Eve.”
Sarah Jessica Parker has joined the cast (the “Sex And The City” franchise is apparently dead) and Halle Berry and Zac “I’m Trying To Do Far Less Roles Like This, No Really” Efron are in negotiations to join the ensemble troupe.
The picture already stars Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Hilary Swank, Ashton Kutcher, Sofia Vergara, Jessica Biel, Abigail Breslin and “Glee” star Lea Michelle. “New Year’s Eve” should will start shooting in February on location in New York (the shoot was originally pegged for December, but amassing a large cast like this takes time).
The film works on a formula that proved very successful with its Hallmark created February 14 predecessor. So much so that you can take the original logline — Intertwining couples and singles in Los Angeles break-up and make-up based on the pressures and expectations of Valentine’s Day — and simply substitute L.A. with New York and “Valentine’s Day” with “New Year’s Eve “and voila! Instant movie. See? That was easy. We’re dying to see where this holiday-themed rom-com goes next. Can we humbly submit Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Cinco De Mayo if only to make it more multi-colored and so George Lopez and Tyler Perry can join the fray (though yes, Lopez was in ‘V Day,’ there’s only so many actors to go around)? [THR]
