Richard Linklater - P 2014
AP Images/InvisionRichard Linklater is exiting Warner Bros.’ The Incredible Mr. Limpet, multiple sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.
The director, whose 12-years-in-the-making film Boyhood is currently in theaters and has been garnering strong critical praise, had been attached to the remake of the 1964 family comedy since 2011.
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Based on the novel by Theodore Pratt, Mr. Limpet centers on a man who is transformed into a fish. Sources say Warner Bros. has been talking to directors to replace Linklater after it began to look like his schedule wouldn’t match up with the studio’s timeline for making the film. Warner Bros. and reps for Linklater had no comment.
According to sources, Linklater wants to concentrate on That’s What I’m Talking About, a 1980s, university-set project that is akin to his cult hit, Dazed & Confused, which was set in the 1970s and set in high school. The project, which is based on Linklater’s life, follows freshmen as they navigate through the first year of college life, while trying to make the baseball team.
Talking About is another passion project for Linklater and the filmmaker would love to capitalize on Boyhood‘s heat to make this one a reality. Several sources say Linklater would like to shoot the project in the fall, which would have pushed work on Limpet into 2015.
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It’s also likely that Linklater could be very busy during awards season with Boyhood, although it’s still too soon to tell. And he’s attached to Larry’s Kidney, an adaptation of Daniel Asa Rose‘s memoir to star Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis. He’s repped by CAA, Cinetic Management, Anonymous Content and Sloss Law Office.