Channing Tatum is set to star in a remake of the 1984 romantic comedy ‘Splash’, about a young boy saved from drowing by a beautiful mermaid who he falls in love with 20 years later when she returns to seek him out. For this remake, there will be an exciting gender twist; this new version will be reversing the sexes of the two leads, with Channing embodying the mermaid, who was originally played by Daryl Hannah.
Jillian Bell, who acted alongside Channing Tatum in 22 Jump Street, will be portraying Channing’s love interest, who was originally played by Tom Hanks. The ‘Splash’ reboot was also apparently all Jillian’s idea.
Although, we may not get to see a third Magic Mike movie, the ‘Splash’ remake will be the perfect opportunity to see Channing’s abs once again on the big screen. While there hasn’t been a lot of details released about the project just yet, we can guess that this time round it will be a much more comedic interpretation of the original as Channing is known for his comedy movies and Jillian is one hell of a comedic actress. 22 Jump Street is hilarious enough to speak for us right?
Marja-Lewis Ryan will be writing up the script, and for all the fans of the original who are not too sure on this idea, Splash’s original director and producer Ron Howard and Brian Grazer will produce the film alongside Channing, Peter Kieran and Reid Carolin.
Ghostbusters have also experimented with a gender swap this year as four females took on the role and the movie has had great feedback, even though people were unsure at first as they was so used to the four men who took on the roles in 1984. Splash also taking on this idea is perfect as people who stick to the gender norms will be taken out of their comfort zones to experience a new take on this romantic comedy. We think a merman is a great idea!
Are you a fan of the original ‘Splash’ and looking forward to a remake? Are you happy with the twist? Let us know at @CelebMix!