Universal is resurrecting the 1991 movie Drop Dead Fred as a starring vehicle for Russell Brand, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Dennis McNicholas, a cowriter on the production company’s upcoming Land of the Lost, will write the script based on the original, which starred Phoebe Cates as a woman who loses her job and her husband only to find her world further rocked by the appearance of a rambunctious imaginary friend from her childhood (whom Brand will play in the remake). The first Fred was a flop, but achieved some cult-level success.
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Comments (1-30) of 59 Add your comment
I seriously don’t think anything could have made my day better! I love the original Drop Dead Fred and I love Russell Brand. Rock on!
Is Hollywood out of ideas that bad that they need to remake Drop Dead Fred. Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Just re-release the original. Please don’t remake Drop Dead Fred.. The first one was so sweet and really good.. Russel Brand will turn it into something dirty and raunchy.. Does everything have to be remade? Come on!!
This excites me.
Just announced:
“Major studio to remake ‘Monkeybone’”
Just kidding. Sort of.
I seriously joked about this 4 months ago that they will make a remake of this. What a flipping joke. The world is clamming for this???? I must go fall on a sword now
Why is this happening? Leave my childhood alone!
My daughter will be thrilled! I do wish, though, they would re-release the original on dvd.
My daughter will be thrilled! I do wish, though, they would re-release the original on dvd.
I think Russell will be brilliant!!!! What a perfect role for him to truly shine in. The first one was great (I mean, come on it had Rik from the Young Ones in it!) but I’d be very interested to see how the remake will incorportate the past story with today’s bits and bobs and, of course, the wonderful Russell Brand.
At least they aren’t going to let this tool f-up a Young Ones revival.
The original is available on DVD. I forget where I found it, but I have it and I remember it only costing about $7.00……
He might be able to pull this off. Maybe. But I really don’t see the point in all the re-makes: first Arthur, now this, even “The Greek” is a reprise of something.
What about some original material here?
Drop Dead Fred was one of the worst movies I have ever seen — and now they are re-making it?!?!?!?!?!?
I like Russell Brand, but won’t ever go to this movie.
@Ceballos: LOL!!!! I think that’s the next on on their list…
Wait, so now it’s not enough to remake hit movies, we need new versions of ones that flopped too? Dear Hollywood: Get some new ideas. Seriously.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Rik Mayall is the ONLY Drop Dead Fred and Russell Brand will screw it up! PLease God no!
OMG, I loved Drop Dead Fred as a kid! I remember watching it with my sister and cousins growing up and how much we laughed! Ever since then I have always wanted to make mud pie (it’s still on my bucket list).
i remember seeing Drop Dead Fred on tv as a kid and loving it. i think Russell is a great pick for the part, he’s pretty good and playing crazy and annoying, and that’s exactly what Fred was. crazy and annoying. and hilarious.
lol, check out all the whiners on here already. you complain when they remake a good or hit movie, you complain when they want to try again on a movie that flopped or got a poor reputation. boo frickin hoo. if you don’t like remakes so much, just don’t see the damn things. problem solved for you.
Because the world needs another lousy remake of a lousy movie starring one of the most obnoxious, creepy and unfunny men on the planet. What’s next, a remake of “Freddy Got Fingered”?
Russell Brand: the human equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard. Blleeeecchh!!!
I LOVE Drop Deadface…..we still use the term MegaBeast to this day…not sure how I feel about a remake though Fred was over the top enough and was a perfect balance of crazy and annoying I think russel brand will take it too far and just irritate me
In 1991 Drop Dead Fred appeared on all most every critics top ten worst list. It was considered a bad Beetlejuice rip off. Also Hollywood appears to be betting that Russell Brand wil turn into a box-office draw as he’s also attached to the Arthur remake. I think they are wrong as he will not be a big mainstream draw.
http://blog.entertainmenttodayandbeyond.com/
chuck
Russell Brand–a tasteless, classless pervert appearing in a tasteless classless film as a tasteless, classless imaginary pervert. A match made in heaven.
Some things should be sacred…like Drop Dead Fred. Not sure I could watch a remake (especially with Russel Brand, whom I find appalling and not funny in the least) when the original was such an important part of my childhood.
Poopy everywhere even on the chair!!!! That movie is great.
BAD IDEA! I loved this movie as a kid and watched it with my sisters all the time. But, a remake of a flop that was on everyone’s worst 10 lists. WTF are they thinking. You can’t re-do this. You can’t.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
WHY????!!! Out of all the most awful films ever! Not to say Rik Mayall is not funny, he was…with The Young Ones. Does the U.K. find the movie funny?
Next on the agenda of remakes, The Jonas Brothers will remake The Village Peoples “Can’t Stop The Music”.
oh, he’s PERFECT for the part!!! So annoying!