Bob Odenkirk wants ‘The Room’ remake to be a ‘real movie’
“My dream is for you to watch it and say, even for a scene or two, ‘Hey, okay! It’s a real movie, I’d watch it!”
Bob Odenkirk’s dream is to make the cult hit “The Room” – in the immortal words of Harry Styles – a real motion picture.
The “Better Call Saul” alum is set to take over the role of Johnny, which was originated by writer-director Tommy Wiseau, for the remake of the 2003 film. The remake benefits amfAR, the foundation for AIDS research, and stars Mike Flanagan, Kate Siegel, Justin Decloux, Brando Crawford, Cameron Kassky, Arturo Castro and Bella Heathcote.
“The Room” follows San Francisco resident Johnny as his fiancee cheats on him with his best friend. THE at first sight the philanthropic remake featured original cast member Greg Sestero on set.
However, the outrageous script cemented the would-be Shakespearean tragedy “The Room” into cult B-movie status – something Odenkirk himself wants to undo.
“I’m not changing the lines, but I’m doing it my way, in a way that hopefully feels legit and real,” Odenkirk said. Entertainment Weekly. “And I think I nailed some of them, and then there are scenes that I just didn’t know. You just can’t make them legal. I mean, they’re crazy. The things people say are so crazy!”
The Emmy winner continued, “I’m not making fun of Tommy’s performance, or even the script. I go, “This is your script. Bob Odenkirk, this is your part. How are you going to make it real and feel legit? My dream is for you to watch it and, even for just a scene or two, say, “Wow, okay! This is a real movie, I would watch it! Just take a moment to think, “I’m watching a real show and I’m actually a little moved by ‘The Room’?
The “Room” remake will use actual stills from the actual 2003 film behind Odenkirk and the rest of the cast, who shot the film in front of a green screen.
“I said, ‘Can I pretend that I, Bob Odenkirk, got the part — and my job is to try to sell it to you and do it as well as I can?’ Odenkirk recalled. “So we’ll see if it worked, but man, I had fun!” We laughed our asses off… And for charity! I hope they raise a lot of money.”
The behind-the-scenes of “The Room” was previously brought to the big screen with the 2017 film “The Disaster Artist,” starring James Franco as Wiseau. Franco won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for the film, written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, and adapted from actor Sestero’s memoir The Disaster Artist: My Life in the Room, The Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made.
“It wasn’t that long ago that we were outsiders looking to break into the business,” Weber told IndieWire at the time. “We believed in each other when no one else believed in us, when most of the people around us thought our dream was ridiculous. This is the story of Tommy and Greg.”
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