Drew Barrymore And Adam Sandler Want To Remake The Best Holiday Movie
Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler want to remake the best Thanksgiving movie ever — 1987’s Planes, Trains & Automobiles. Sandler recently made an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show when the actors discussed their long history and also about their hopes to redo the classic Steve Martin/John Candy holiday dramedy.
As reported by Entertainment Weekly, Adam Sandler appeared on the latest episode of The Drew Barrymore Show during the Drewber segment; in which the host interviews a celebrity in the back of a car. The subject of Cameron Diaz comes up who apparently also is interested in remaking the Thanksgiving flick, and Barrymore says she told Diaz, “‘Well, you know, Adam and I talk about that.'” Surprisingly, Barrymore said, “Well, I also want to play John Candy.”
“You could do a good Candy,” Adam Sandler agreed. “You know who could do Candy the best? [Chris] Farley.” Drew Barrymore says the late Saturday Night Live legend’s name in unison with Sandler; Sandler continues, “He would walk around the office and say lines from Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”
If for some criminal reason you aren’t familiar with the flick, the movie Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler are hoping to remake stars Steve Martin as the uptight advertising executive Neal Page who is fighting to get home in time for Thanksgiving. With few options left, he is forced to join forces with the terminally upbeat salesman Del Griffith (John Candy), whose humungous heart and irresistible charisma don’t always make up for his lack of sense. Their cross country adventure is not only hilarious, but surprisingly touching.
Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler have been collaborating for decades, ever since the 1998 love letter to the eighties, The Wedding Singer. They would reunite on the big screen for 2004’s 50 First Dates and again 10 years later in Blended. So the fact that they want to work together again isn’t surprising at all, though a Planes, Trains & Automobile remake would be an interesting choice.
The first obvious question you might have is if, with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore replacing Martin and Candy, the nature of the characters’ relationship would change. While there’s no law saying their on-screen dynamic would have to turn romantic, every single one of their film collaborations so far have been rom-coms. If nothing else, gender-bending either star from the original would lead to some intriguing — and universally disturbing — possibilities in terms of remaking the classic “those aren’t pillows” scene.
The notion of Drew Barrymore playing the Candy role to Adam Sandler’s straight man is an interesting an unexpected one, considering the latter actor’s usual roles. Though in the last few years with films like Hustle and Uncut Gems, Sandler has gone above and beyond to show he can be more than a goofball. If they ever do manage to get their remake in development, we’ll do our best to make sure you’re the first to know.
