Another Nutty Professor Sequel in the Works?
According to Hollywood trade, THR, Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment are putting a call out for another installment of The Nutty Professor.
The studio and production company are in the early stages of developing a new “Nutty Professor” movie, in what would be the third installment of the remake of the 1963 Jerry Lewis vehicle. An open call is out to writers for their take on a potential third entry.
In this day in age Hollywood studios are always about maximizing brand value and this article elaborated on that being one of the reasons behind this devlopment, saying,
The sequel to 1996’s “The Nutty Professor,” “Klumps” had a less corpulent boxoffice gross than its predecessor, earning $162 million worldwide vs. the $270 million of the first installment. Still, the franchise has proved profitable, and a third installment could prove attractive for Universal, which like other studios has been relying increasingly on established brands.
As far as the franchises’ star is concerned, the article reports that Eddie Murphy is not yet attached to the project.
Murphy is not attached to a new “Nutty”; his involvement would be contingent on the writer, director and other elements. Murphy’s comic versatility was seen as key to the success of the two “Nutty” movies, and it seems unlikely that a third installment could go forward without him.
I think that this is a tired brand and franchise and that today’s audience may not be interested in a film such as this that is 8 years since the last installment. Also I just do not see Murphy interested in doing this film therefore it probably won’t happen.
