The New CLUE Is Getting A New Director

I will preface all of this with the following: Jonathan Lynn's Clue is one of my favorite movies, full stop; its greatness flies directly in the face of every argument you've ever heard against movies being based on toys, board games and/or video games; and, finally, I think it's a full-blown miracle they made it work once. Making another Clue movie, regardless of what kind of talent you throw at it, feels like tempting fate to me.

All of that said: they're making another Clue movie, whether we like it or not, and - as previously reported - Ryan Reynolds is still onboard to star, Deadpool screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are still onboard to write the script, and Hasbro is still onboard to co-produce the film, alongside Reynolds' Maximum Effort production shingle. Today's update concerns Jason Bateman, who was previously slated to co-star and direct the film. This is no longer the case!

According to Variety, scheduling conflicts with Bateman's Netflix series, Ozark, have caused him to drop out of the project...but James Bobin (The Muppets, Flight of The Conchords) has stepped up to take his spot in the director's seat. The deal's not fully finalized yet (they're still in the "in talks" phase of the process), but unless something goes horribly awry, the new Clue will have Bobin at the helm. Assuming this will be the zany comedy we're expecting, Bobin feels like a good fit.

Can the new Clue possibly compete with the original Clue? The fanboy in me says "No", but the adult in me says "Depends on the script, and depends on the casting". Once we know who'll be starring alongside Reynolds (Variety says 20th Century is "aiming for high-profile talent"), I think we'll have a much better idea what we're getting into here, and can more fairly approach the project on its own terms.

Nothing further to report, but rest assured we're keeping an eye on this one, and will have further updates for you just as soon as they roll in. Stay tuned.