Entertainment Weekly has reported that Ryan Reynolds and Justin Bateman have signed on to star in Universal Pictures’ “The Change-Up.” The film will revolve around two best friends — one a responsible family man (Bateman), the other a single slacker (Reynolds) — who magically switch bodies. It’s hardly a new or inspired premise. Admittedly, most films with similar stories involve an adult and a teenager and the body swappers are usually related, but this premise nonetheless falls into the “retread” category.
I suspect, though, that writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (“The Hangover”) and director David Dobkin (“Wedding Crashers”) will set this film apart.
“The Hangover” was my favorite comedy from 2009 and I can still get a laugh or two from “Wedding Crashers.” Chemistry-wise, this strikes me as an astute bit of casting. Reynolds seems to match well with almost anybody and Bateman, though not quite as versatile, is funny and likable in his own right.
No word on when “The Change-Up” will begin filming or on a release date, but you can bet this will be a bawdy, hot-ticket comedy.
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Jason Bateman would certainly be trading up. 😉
Maybe it will be somewhat reminiscent of FACE-OFF with Travolta. No matter, I think a lot of us are attracted to this premise of switching life opportunities – you know, just to see how it would be. For me, I’d like to be a puppy… just for 30 minutes. What does a dog think like?