This doesn’t do much for the "leave it the fuck alone" camp, but it’s certainly better than the previous alternative… I think. According to Variety, Zak Penn has pulled rewriting duty on Joel Silver’s The Dirty Dozen remake, which will hopefully be a page one overhaul since Scott Rosenberg’s first pass was… lacking.
Let’s see… what to add so as to pad… um, I guess it’s interesting that Penn replacing Rosenberg is an encouraging development, seeing as how I’ve yet to love a Penn-scripted movie from start-to-finish while I still love Beautiful Girls unconditionally. But if Penn has fallen short of greatness each time out, at least he doesn’t have to answer for Kangaroo Jack. What’s that you say? Elektra? Are we sure that’s entirely Penn’s fault (I’m asking because I don’t know nor do I particularly care)? And, even if it is, couldn’t it be argued that Kangaroo Jack is the viler atrocity, as it was co-written with noted scumbag Steve Bing and features a rapping marsupial?
I’ll take my chances with Penn, who’s not only well liked by lots of talented people, but seems to be a decent guy. Of course, I’d rather this project not happen at all, but, if it must, at least it won’t be weighed down by racist caricatures and a father-daughter backstory that has no place in anything bearing the esteemed Dirty Dozen moniker. Because you’re going to jettison those elements posthaste, aren’t you, Zak? Good.