Hold on to your hats, 80s kids, Three Men and a Baby, the legendary family comedy rental store staple, is getting a remake.
The original 1987 film, directed by Star Trek superstar Leonard Nimoy and starring Ted Danson, Steve Guttenberg, and Tom Selleck, was about three carefree bachelors who find themselves parents to an abandoned infant named Mary. It grossed $240 million worldwide according to Variety and spawned a sequel called Three Men and a Little Lady in 1990. While the original ensemble was in talks to appear in a threequel named “Three Men and a Bride” as recently as 2010 (as reported by Digital Spy in an MTV interview with Selleck), nothing came of it.
The reboot of Three Men and a Baby will be released on Disney+ in 2022, as announced during Disney Investor Day 2020.
The reboot is being promoted as a modernized version of the original. The fact that three bachelors had to change their lives and work their way through the problems of attending to a newborn in the 1980s adaptation, which was based on a French film, gave a solid amount of comedy.
Will Reichel wrote the script for the remake. The revival will is likely to have to confront shifting cultural ideas on fatherhood while staying true to the essence of the original. Though the manner in which the material will be updated is unknown.
The remake slated for Disney+ will be directed by Disney’s live-action division. Gordon Gray best known for his inspirational sports dramas such as The Rookie and Ben Affleck-starring The Way Back is in charge of the production. The film is gathering steam, with director Mo Marable set to direct the movie for the streaming service. Marable has directed a number of critically praised television comedies, including the final three seasons of IFC’s Brockmire. He also worked as an Executive Producer on VEEP, Insecure, It’s Always Sunny, The Last OG, and Lodge 49, among other shows.
As reported by Deadline in January 2021, High School Musical heartthrob, Zac Efron, is all set to return to Disney as he has agreed to star in the film. He’s recently spent time in a variety of films, including the indie Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, in which he played serial murderer Ted Bundy, and the comedy The Beach Bum, in which he starred opposite Matthew McConaughey. He was also seen in Down to Earth, a Netflix documentary series that he also executive produced through his Ninjas Runnin Wild Productions. The show follows Efron as he travels the world exploring sustainability.
If Disney wants to repeat the popularity of the original film, they may choose to release the remake as a holiday tentpole. On November 25, the day before Thanksgiving, the 1987 Three Men and a Baby was released in theaters. While predicting a streaming hit is trickier, that’s a pretty strong lineage, and replicating it on any level would certainly do the streaming platform no harm.
The second month into 2022, we are hoping to hear updates from the production soon, stay tuned!