What’s Wes Anderson up to next? Possibly showing up the French. Right now he’s finishing up an animated adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Fantastic Mr. Fox, but next he’ll be writing – and possibly directing – a remake of the 2006 French film Mon meilleur ami (My Best Friend). Here’s Variety’s synopsis of the original:
The French pic starred Daniel Auteuil as a cranky antiques dealer who learns at a dinner with his closest acquaintances that none of them really like him because of his harsh manner and selfishness. When his business partner bets him a valuable vase that he can’t produce a best friend, the dealer tries to get an amiable cab driver to pose as his buddy.
What? There’s no wacky yet tight-knight family in that synopsis! Where are the daddy issues? What’s Wes Anderson going to do with this?
Possibly get me excited, that’s what. While I’m generally against these whiplash remakes, I felt like The Darjeeling Limited was Anderson reaching the end of his usual themes and elements and he needs to get to a new place ASAP. If that takes a remake, well he has my full support. Anything to get this director back on the right track.