Thursday, March 28, 2024

Critics Choice Awards Exclusive: Norman Lear, 97, Has Two Actresses in Mind for “Maude” Reboot This Spring, Show Will Be Updated

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Norman Lear, 97, literally bounced on stage to receive his Critics Choice award for the live broadcasts of “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons” this past year. I am in awe of him, I think everyone in Hollywood is. Lear has definitely taken the right vitamins.

I asked him before the show started last night what plans he had for “Maude.” I told you a couple of weeks ago a “Maude” reboot would follow most recent “All in the Family”/”Good Times” live showing.

“I’ve got two actresses in mind,” Lear told me. “I can’t tell you who they are yet.” One would play Maude, the other her daughter, Carol. The originals were, of course, Bea Arthur and Adrienne Barbeau.

The big news is that “Maude” will not take place in the 1970s. It’s going to be updated for now. “There’s a whole concept, it’s very different,” Lear told me. It’s unclear whether another “All in the Family” episode will air, or if “Good Times,” which was spun off of “Maude,” will play in tandem.

The whole casting of “Maude” will no doubt be an event announcement. So far, Lear and co-producer Jimmy Kimmel have slotted in a lot of A list movie stars for the all actors in these revivals.

I did tell Lear my theory about Meryl Streep playing Maude– even though she’s 20 years older than Bea Arthur was in 1972. Lear laughed. “Listen,” he said, “Meryl Streep is so good she could play you!”

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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