Remember when it was announced that Lee Daniels would be directing a “Terms of Endearment” remake starring Oprah Winfrey? That was almost 10 years ago.
What once looked like a stalled project is now reportedly inching back into motion. After years of silence, the remake of the 1983 Oscar-winning film—originally directed by James L. Brooks—is quietly assembling cast and crew again, with a June shoot being eyed.
Nothing has been formally confirmed by Paramount, which landed the rights to Daniels’ project in 2017, but new leadership under David Ellison might be the main reason behind the project’s sudden reappearance.
The original pitch, dating back to the mid-2010s, envisioned a reimagining of the mother-daughter drama. Apparently, Daniels’ take will have Winfrey in the Shirley MacLaine role, be set in the ‘80s, and include a storyline about Black men who brought HIV/AIDS to their female partners.
That’s certainly one way to “reimagine” this Best Picture winner, which was a huge hit in 1983 and remains one of Brooks’ best films—a melodrama that worked wonderfully well, filled with memorable performances by MacLaine, Debra Winger, and Jack Nicholson.
“Terms of Endearment” follows the turbulent relationship between a strong-willed mother, Aurora Greenway, and her independent daughter, Emma. The film eventually turns into a cancer melodrama, which, apparently, Daniels will be replacing with AIDS in his version.
I’ve mentioned this before, but Daniels was never the same after “The Paperboy,” a batsht crazy vision that had Nicole Kidman eye-fcking John Cusack during a death row prison visit, and Zac Efron dancing in his underwear in the rain. The film somehow made Cannes competition that year, and know what? I’m not complaining. It was an immensely curious “what-did-I-just-watch” statement on Daniels’ part.
Since then, Daniels has opted to direct safer, more conventional films, including 2013’s “The Butler,” 2021’s “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” and that misbegotten straight-to-Netflix horror movie “The Deliverance.”