Chris here. It's been so long since we first heard about Tilda Swinton's plans to remake Auntie Mame that we'd assumed the project had died. But, as it turns out, Annie Mumolo and Tilda Swinton are giving us a banquet because we poor suckers are starving to death.
While being interviewed by Vanity Fair, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Annie Mumolo let slip that she's working on the screenplay for Auntie Mame, with Tilda Swinton taking over Rosalind Russell's fur coat. No, it won't be a musical version, because Tilda Swinton in a musical would be too much for our tender hearts.
This would be a huge star vehicle for the actress, putting her at the forefront of a big cast rather than her usual spot on the periphery of comedic ensembles. One thing Swinton doesn't get enough credit for is her incredible chemistry with a wide range of different kinds of performers, so the possibilities to pair her with a great cast is all too exciting. From her nephew Patrick, goofy Gooch, and dreamy Beau, there are a lot of great parts to bounce of Swinton's eccentric socialite.
Vera (Coral Browne) and Mame (Rosalind Russell) in the 1958 classic
But the role we should all be most intrigued to see cast opposite Swinton's Mame is her bosom buddy Vera. More after the jump...
Vera is her drunken, glamorous actress pal, just as dryly funny as the leading lady - so her performer will need to be a match to Swinton in order to satisfy our need for powerful actress couplings. Let's daydream some options.
Julianne Moore - We may be prone to wanting God herself to be in just about everything here at The Film Experience, but this pairing would be particularly worth begging for. For anyone who says she's not quite a comic actress, here are the receipts: Maggie's Plan, The Big Lebowski, The Kids Are All Right. Plus two redheaded leading ladies in one flim? *swoon*
Viola Davis - Queen Viola may not be very experienced in comedy, but no one nails withering shade or adoring friendship quite like her. And it's about time she gets to have some fun after nothing but dramatic roles. Even in the upcoming Suicide Squad she's going to have to be the serious one. Let her have fun, dammit!
Sarah Paulson - Maybe she's played one too many friends in movies, but she always makes the women she plays more than a second fiddle. Her Down With Love performance should be a gold standard of period comedy acting.
Maya Rudolph - She's already been in one Mumolo galpal pairing, and if Mumolo's script has a contemporary edge, no one is more equipped to handle any brand of humor than Rudolph. She can make fun of glamour while still being glamourous herself, playing the clown and goddess at the same time. Plus, a wholly unexpected pairing like Tilda and Maya is so wrong it's right.
Tilda herself - As Hail, Casear! showed us, two Tilda's is better than one. And you know if she wasn't already playing Mame, you'd want her to be Vera. In fact, let her go full Alec Guinness in Kind Hearts and Coronets and play everyone.
Do you have any fun ideas of who to pair with Tilda?