According to Deadline, Ben Stiller is in talks to play the title role in the reboot of The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty. He has come on board with 20th Century Fox after a new take on the story by Steve Conrad (The Pursuit of Happyness) excited him enough to make it clear he wants this to be his next film.
The studio now wants to take advantage of the momentum and is keen to hire a director quickly in the hopes of shooting the PG-rated movie in the fall. The number of actors and directors linked to the project over the years is exhaustive, with the likes of Jim Carrey, Will Ferrell, Steven Spielberg, and Ron Howard all having been mentioned at some point or other.
This is one reboot/remake that at least has time on its side. The original The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, starring Danny Kaye, was released in 1947, so it could be argued this is overdue. It at least beats the remakes of films that were only originally released within the last 20 years.
Just one piece of advice with this movie: don’t hold your breath waiting for it to appear, because The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty has been in development hell for years. It does look like it’s finally going to happen, but there’s always the possibility of the project being knocked sideways even at this stage of proceedings.
