Universal Wants ‘Twins’ Sequel With Eddie Murphy? Quick, Someone Hand Them a Pamphlet on the Joys of Abortion
The head honchos over at Universal seem to be undergoing a mid-life crisis of sorts as they reflect on their (relative) youth back in the year 1988. First, they announced last week that they’re going to move forward on a sequel to the Robert De Niro/Charles Grodin comedy Midnight Run (conveniently forgetting the three made-for-TV sequels that already exist). And now they’ve let word get out that they’re eyeballing a sequel to Ivan Reitman’s Twins.
As awesome as that doesn’t sound, the news gets even more topical and ridiculous. According to THR, the studio wants to reunite Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito as the unlikely twins and add a third player into the mix so they can call the film Triplets. And who do they supposedly want for the third sibling? None other than Mr. Box Office Poison himself, Eddie Murphy!
You can see why I said “supposedly.” If this news was hitting two days later we’d all chalk it up to an April Fool’s casting prank. Murphy’s had success in two very specific comedy genres in the past decade… family films and fatsuit-and-flatulence-loving family films. Every time he’s stepped outside of that safety zone (aside from supporting roles) he’s ended up with films like A Thousand Words, Imagine That, Meet Dave, I Spy, Pluto Nash and Showtime. Collectively those six movies only grossed around $116 million.
The THR piece acknowledges that Universal is still at the prenatal stages of development on Triplets, but they do state that while the three actors are already attached, Reitman would be returning in a producing capacity only. So at least there’s one bit of good news amidst the inanity.
Universal’s remaining comedies from 1988 include Biloxi Blues, Casual Sex, The Great Outdoors, and Moon Over Parador… so expect a sequel announcement for The Last Temptation of Christ any day now.
Related Topics: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Comedy
