Friday, May 22, 2026

UPDATES: RIP Robert Downey Sr., Faye Dunaway Joins Kevin Spacey in B Movie, Bill Condon to Direct Movie Version of “Guys and Dolls”

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Some movie updates…

Faye Dunaway is joining what you might call a B or C movie featuring Hollywood pariah Kevin Spacey. Franco Nero, the Italian actor and director of bad movies, is behind “The Man Who Drew God.”

The role was supposed to go to Vanessa Redgrave, who is Nero’s wife, but she is too smart to get involved with this nonsense. (Vanessa’s had enough controversy in her life.) We’re always sympathetic to Faye even on her crazier days, but this is a terrible idea. I hope she gets a decent paycheck out of it.

The movie hasn’t been made, they’re selling the rights in Cannes. Will it ever be made? Will we ever see it? Who knows?

GUYS AND DOLLS was made back in 1955  by the other “Mank,” the talented one, brother Joseph. Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons, Vivian Blaine, and Stubby Kaye starred in it, and it’s a classic. Since then there have been numerous Broadway and stage productions.

So it’s time to remake it, I guess. Sony/Tri-Star owns the rights. Bill Condon, who knows what he’s doing from “Chicago” and “Nine” and the live action “Beauty and the Beast,” has tapped as director.

What happens next? Will someone ruin the screenplay by making it woke and PC? Or will they stick to the story? What’s your bet Nicely Nice goes to Kevin Hart? Who will play Nathan Detroit? Leo? Gosling as Sky Masterson? Emily Blunt as Adelaide? We’ll see how this plays out…

CONDOLENCES TO ROBERT DOWNEY JR. His beloved dad, Robert Sr., director of “Putney Swope” and a trailblazer in indie cinema, has died at age 85. He was a lovely guy and a talented filmmaker who influenced many. Condolences to his family and friends, who are many.

 

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is 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. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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