Jack Nicholson to return to acting in American remake of 'Toni Erdmann', Kristen Wiig to co-star

Image from UPI

By Darian Scalamoni

            It’s been 7 years since the legendary Jack Nicholson has been in a major motion picture with the film, How Do You Know. Most haven’t heard of this film (and for good reason), so put into perspective that it has been 10 years since The Bucket List which was critically well-received and his last lead role. It’s more likely that you’ll see Nicholson sitting courtside at a Laker game than on the big screen but he seems to have finally found another project that has him returning to cinema. According to Collider, Nicholson will co-star with Kristen Wiig in an American remake of the 2016 German comedy, Toni Erdmann.

            Toni Erdmann was one of the best films critically in the world last year and was nominated for many awards including Best Foreign Language Film of the Year at this year’s Academy Awards. The German movie follows an eccentric father who surprises his daughter with an extended visit. With his daughter being constantly consumed by her work, he creates an alter-ego named Toni Erdmann, a smooth-talking life coach who wears a goofy wig and fake teeth. The near 3-hour comedy was directed by Maren Ade who will serve as an executive producer on the American remake alongside Jonas Dornbach, Janine Jackowski and Adam McKay, who recently directed the Oscar-winning film, The Big Short. Peter Simonischek and Sandra Huller played the original roles that will be played by Nicholson and Wiig respectively in this version.

            Interestingly enough, the 3-time Oscar winning actor loved the original so much and envisioned himself in the role. He then approached Paramount’s Brad Grey with the idea of a remake and Grey then acquired the rights. It sure seems like a terrific project for both Nicholson and Wiig, I’m curious to see what they change, if anything from the narrative from the German version of the film.