Whenever a new car is added to the remake train, the same line comes up: why don’t studios remake crappy movies, and do something better with a workable concept? Universal is listening, because the studio is planning to revamp Drop Dead Fred as a Russell Brand vehicle.

Phoebe Cates starred in the original film in ’91 as a woman who lost her job and husband then took refuge in the company of her zany imaginary childhood friend Fred. Brand would be the new Fred (I’d almost rather he was the new Phoebe Cates; he’s got the hair for it) but things will be a little different this time. The idea is to remake Fred, but knock off Beetlejuice in the process by creating a “universe around the concept of imaginary friends.” Maybe THR got it wrong, because that sounds a lot like how I imagined the Facebook movie would play out.