Today in pointless remake news: Russell Brand to stagger his way through newfangled Arthur

By Nathan Rabin | March 4, 2010 | 6:54pm

Aux Features Film

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that British funnyman Russell Brand will star in a remake of the 1980 Dudley Moore vehicle Arthur, the Oscar-winning romantic comedy about a wealthy alcoholic who defies his family to pursue Liza Minnelli, the working-class woman of his dreams. The film was inextricably rooted in real-life boozer Moore's lovable bumbler persona so it'll be interesting to see Brand's take on the iconic character.

Brand, a recovering alcoholic, is also slated to star in a remake of Drop Dead Fred, bringing us one step closer to a paradise in which every film of the eighties and nineties will have been remade or, "re-imagined" for contemporary audiences. The original nabbed John Gielgud an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his scene-stealing turn as Moore's profane butler. No word yet on who will play that plum role in the remake.