Robert here, and before I begin, no, you are not having a stroke. That headline truly does read “Jack Nicholson and Kristen Wiig to star in Toni Erdmann remake.”
Variety has reported that Nicholson will make his first appearance on the big screen since 2010 in an American version of the off-kilter German comedy. Toni Erdmann has garnered probably more critical acclaim than any other movie this year and is nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars. This is Nicholson's first role since How Do You Know? which seems wrong, but I suppose IMDB doesn't lie!
He will be playing the role of Winnifred (let's assume he gets an Americanized name) played by Peter Simonischeck in the original film, a lonely music teacher fond of playing practical jokes, especially involving prop teeth. Wiig, who has been building a solid body of work in the “funny but also debilitatingly sad” genre, is set to play his daughter Inez, an uptight business woman who invites her father to visit her at her home abroad to mixed results.
There are a lot of questions circling this remake:
Why?
How?
Will it still take place in Romania?
Will there be as much full frontal nudity?
Will it still be three hours long?
Who will play Inez's coworker/lover who defiles a macaroon?
We will just have to wait and see! As of right now the film has no release date but news is moving quickly. Personally, I think if the film must be remade Nicholson and Wiig are inspired choices, but I'm just extremely confused why this was slated to be remade in the US. Let's hope that it keeps the uncomfortable, weird humor and doesn't try to water down the political and social commentary. Fingers crossed!