Hangover director Todd Phillips in talks to take over for Scorsese on the remake of The Gambler

JoBloJoBlo

Todd Phillips directing HPII

Todd Phillips may be about to direct The Wolfpack for one last bit of adventure and insanity in THE HANGOVER PART III, but that doesn’t mean the man doesn’t have aspirations beyond the world of gonzo comedy.  And those aspirations may be en route to being manifested rather swiftly, as Phillips is currently in talks to fill the director’s chair left vacant by Martin Scorsese himself on the remake of 1974’s THE GAMBLER starring James Caan.

William Monahan (THE DEPARTED, SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR) wrote the updated script based on Dostoevsky’s story of the same name, “which centers on a UCLA literature professor with a gambling problem who runs afoul of gangsters.”  Said UCLA literature professor was originally planned to be played by Leonardo DiCaprio, but since just about the only person busier than Martin Scorsese is Leonardo DiCaprio it isn’t yet known whether he’ll still be able to play the part.

THE HANGOVER PART III starts filming next month, meaning that if Phillips secures the gig it won’t be long at all before production on THE GAMBLER gets going.

The Gambler original poster

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

About the Author

Favorite Movies: The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Dark Knight, Dead Man, The read more Devil's Backbone, Drive, Excalibur, Field of Dreams, Gladiator, The Great Escape, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Hook, Insomnia, Jason and the Argonauts, Kingdom of Heaven, Let the Right One In, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Michael Clayton, Michael Collins, Munich, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Pan's Labyrinth, Pirate Radio, The Princess Bride, Remember the Titans, The Seventh Seal, Some Like It Hot, The Tree of Life, Trick 'r Treat.

Likes: Deadwood, Carnivale, Firefly, that smell after the rain, Tom Waits, film read more scores, Bioshock, Kingdom Hearts, pie, Ireland, wine, drinking wine in Ireland, Shakespeare, Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, Calvin and Hobbes, thinly-veiled sexual euphemisms, Monty Python and bad puns.

The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.

What’s Not Allowed

  • Abusive language, insults, or harassment toward other users or staff.
  • Hate speech of any kind is strictly prohibited.
  • Bickering, bullying, personal attacks, or baiting others to argue
  • Extended off-topic debates, especially those centered on politics or religion rather than the article topic
  • No AI content or SPAM