The third version of Father of the Bride is in the works, this time featuring a Latinx cast. The film is in the works at Warner Bros., although Disney’s Touchstone Pictures produced the popular Steve Martin-starring version. The news of another version surfaced the same week Netflix released a reunion for the 1991 film, with Martin, Diane Keaton, Kiernan Culkin, and Kimberly Williams-Paisley taking part to raise funds for World Central Kitchen.
Warner Bros. reportedly hired Matt Lopez to write the new script, sources told Collider. Lopez’s credits include the family films Bedtime Stories, Race to Witch Mountain, and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Lopez’s script will reportedly change up the familiar Father of the Bride plot to differentiate it from the first two versions.
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Father of the Bride was first filmed in 1950 at MGM, with Spencer Tracy as the father who is not ready to see his daughter, played by Elizabeth Taylor, get married. It was based on a 1949 novel by Edward Streeter and followed by a sequel, Father’s Little Dividend, in 1951. In 1991, Disney released the popular remake, featuring Martin as the father, Keaton as his wife, and Williams-Paisley as his daughter. In 1995, Father of the Bride Part II hit theaters and followed the same plot as Father’s Little Dividend. The Martin films were written by Nancy Meyers and Charlies Shyer, who also directed both.
The new Father of the Bride is set up at Warner Bros., which owns the rights to the 1950 MGM movie. It’s not clear what this means for Disney’s own plans with the franchise. In 2018, The Hollywood Reporter reported that a Father of the Bride reboot was a top priority for the Disney+ streaming outlet.
On Friday, Netflix released a virtual Father of the Bride reunion on YouTube and Facebook as a fundraiser for World Central Kitchen. Martin, Williams-Pasley, Keaton, Kiernan Culkin, George Newbern, and Marin Short all returned to reprise their roles. Rober De Niro, Alexandra Shipp, Ben Platt, and Florence Pugh also joined in as new characters, while Reese Witherspoon introduced the special, reports Variety.
Lopez is an experienced screenwriter for family films. He recently adapted Drew Daywalt’s book The Day the Crayons Quit for Shawn Levy’s production banner and worked on a film adaptation of the Asteroids video game. Lopez also worked for Disney on Nicholas Cage’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson-starring movie Race to Witch Mountain. He also created Gone, a 2017 series starring Chris Noth and Danny Pino.
