Fox Eyes Jason Bateman to Direct/Star Alongside Ryan Reynolds in Clue

CLUE: Fox Eyes Jason Bateman to Direct/Star Alongside Ryan Reynolds

Deadline has brought word that Fox has begun early talks with Emmy winner Jason Bateman (Ozark) to direct the studio’s upcoming film remake of the classic board game Clue.Bateman is also in talks to star alongside the already attached Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool 2).

RELATED: Ryan Reynolds to Star in Clue Movie as Part of a First Look Deal with Fox

Reynolds’ company will produce the film, based on the Hasbro board game, with Allspark Pictures, which is the film division of Hasbro. Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who scripted the two Deadpool films and Life, all starring Reynolds, were in talks to pen the script, and while it’s not known how far along they got into the development of the script, the talks with Bateman not only include discussions to have him star in the film, but also to further develop the script with Reynolds.

Clue was a 1985 comedy based on the board game, which involves players figuring which of the guests at a mansion murdered someone, with which murder weapon and in which room. The film was directed by Jonathan Lynn. Lynn worked on the script with John Landis. Clue starred Eileen Brennan (Private Benjamin), Tim Curry (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), Madeline Kahn (Young Frankenstein), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), Michael McKean (This Is Spinal Tap), Martin Mull (Roseanne) and Lesley Ann Warren (Desperate Housewives). The film had one of three possible endings, and different theaters received different ones. All were included on the home video release. Though the film didn’t do well in its run a the box office, only making $14,643,997 in domestic sales, it has become a cult classic.

RELATED: Clue Reboot Could Be R-Rated, Deadpool 2 Writers Tease

Reynolds and Bateman have previously worked together twice, the first on the 2006 dark action comedy Smokin’ Aces, though they never shared any screen time in the film, and the 2011 fantasy comedy The Change-Up, in which a Freaky Friday-style switch saw them inhabit the other’s life. Reynolds role in Clue comes as part of his three year first-look deal with Fox, the studio for which he’s starred in seven movies since 2013 and is set to lead the cast of the upcoming video game action comedy Free Guy.

(Photo Credit: Backgrid Images)

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