So the rumors have been flying about Reese Witherspoon opting out of the next Joe Carnahan film, a remake of the 1965 missing child/"but was she even real?" film Bunny Lake is Missing. Some sources said the split came by way of an uncompleted script. Others said it was simply fallout from her recent divorce. Sounds like gossip rag material to me, so who better to cut through the TMZ crapcake than Joe Carnahan himself?
A recent update on Joe Carnahan’s blog gives the impression Bunny is not only missing, she could be dead. As Joe mentioned to CHUD readers over 3 months ago (read it here), the prospect of the remake was contingent on his commitment to the Ellroy adapation White Jazz. "Bunny Lake looks good man and I can’t say anymore than that. If it comes together, it will happen before WJ, but I won’t do anything to jeopardize the amount of preparation we need on that."
True to his word, Smokin’ Joe mentions on his blog that he wasn’t about to cut prep time needed for Jazz. With the time frame between a production start on White Jazz getting pinched as Bunny developed, it sounds like time just ran out. There’s no mention of plans to revisit or restart Bunny and Carnahan specifically mentions movies going away every day. While that doesn’t negate the fact it could be picked up again when White Jazz is finished, right now it certainly sounds dead to me.
And all for the better. Ellroy’s stuff makes for good eatin’ and a remake, no matter how well done, can take second seat.
Check out Joe Carnahans words for yourself right here. Then smile at the responses which feel mildly obiesant to "BFF through the internet" creepy.