We've been hearing of a remake of THE CANNONBALL RUN for quite a few years, but very little progress has been made. Etan Cohen (GET HARD) was attached to write and direct the project just last year, but it seems that Warner Bros. is looking for someone new to fill the driver's seat. Deadline reports that the studio is currently in negotiations with Rawson Thurber (WE'RE THE MILLER) to direct the film and Thomas Lennon & Robert Ben Garant to pen the script.
The original 1981 film featured an ensemble of 80's stars, including Burt Reynolds, Frank Sinatra, Dom Deluise, Roger Moore, Jackie Chan, Sammy Davis Jr., Farrah Fawcett, Peter Fonda, Dean Martin, Jamie Farr and more, as they took place in an illegal cross-country race where the participants were not above playing dirty tricks on one another. Warner Bros. isn't describing this project as a remake of the Burt Reynolds move, but rather a relaunch based on the famous "Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash." The real-life race was an unofficial, unsanctioned automobile race which ran five times in the 1970s. The race began in New York City, later Connecticut, and ended at the Portofino Inn in Redondo Beach, California. The driver(s) who made the race in the shortest time won. That was it.
Considering how long we've been hearing rumblings about this project, I wouldn't hold my breath that it will actually happen until the cameras are rolling. Assuming they take a cue from the Burt Reynolds film and cast an all-star ensemble, who would you like to see make an appearance in the relaunch of THE CANNONBALL RUN?
