'Valley Girl' Remake On The Way From The Guy Who Directed 'Fred: The Movie'

News

by Kevin Jagernauth
February 16, 2012 7:29 PM
4 Comments

Was there something in the air? Maybe. While the 1983 flick "Valley Girl" was (until now) a relic -- a particular kind of movie, from a particular era -- the film is not without its legion of fans, and is known for its breakout performance by a young Nicolas Cage. Last summer, Kevin Smith hit the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York to screen the film and host a talk afterward with the film's director Martha Coolidge. It was a surprisingly fascinating talk, full of many revelations (read our recap here) and so it seems that in the power corridors of Hollywood there are some fans as well, as the movie is headed for a remake.

Paramount and MGM have dusted off the movie and tasked Clay Weiner with helming the redo. Huh? As Deadline reveals, the helmer is a commercials director whose best known credits are that Super Bowl spot with Ricky Gervais and Mary Louise Parker (co-directed with Noam Murro) and uh, "Fred: The Movie." So did he leapfrog his career? He can thank his agents as they got him in a room with execs and he used that opportunity to show them a three-minute demo reel he financed himself, complete with dance numbers, an '80s soundtrack and more showing what he plans to do with the remake. And he won the gig.

In case you haven't seen the movie, it follows the beautiful and pampered Julie Richman (Deborah Foreman), a high-school girl who loves nothing more than hanging out with her posse and going to the mall. But she's had it with her current boyfriend, a preppy jock who only calls when it's convenient for him. After a straight-forward break-up, Julie attends a party and catches eyes with punk party crasher Randy (Cage), who persuades her to take a drive through Hollywood with him. As their relationship deepens, her friends and ex-boyfriend give her an ultimatum -- dump the weirdo or lose everything that comes with living in the rich, clean Valley lifestyle. What's a girl to do?

This do-over will be a straight-up musical with the cast singing '80s New Wave tunes (hmm....smells like Paramount and MGM wants to follow Warner Bros '80s trip "Rock Of Ages"). The soundtrack was a big part of the original. It featured songs by Men At Work, Bonnie Hayes, Modern English, The Payolas, The Plimsouls and more. Adding to the mix? Jenny Lumet ("Rachel Getting Married") is rewriting the script by Amy Talkington.

No word yet on when this will roll and our guess is suits are going to wait to see if audiences respond to "Rock Of Ages" (or not). Until then, catch the work that got Weiner recognized (for better or worse) and as a bonus round: 100 of Nic Cage's greatest quotes (via I Watch Stuff).

News

More: Valley Girl, Nicolas Cage, Clay Weiner, Jenny Lumet

4 Comments

| Reply
me | February 18, 2012 2:26 PMReply

running out of ideas to make a movies
you can never recapture the movie VALLEY GIRL you will try to and maybe will make a buck and tarnish the memory of the original but will never replace it or supercede it. That was a 80's piece of magic never to return and todays youth would never appreciate the artistry of the music in it because they dont know what real music is.
Michael Dyon | March 21, 2012 3:55 PM

You are so right. That was an incredible movie to me when I saw it at 15 in 1983 or 1984, especially ALL the music.
sarcastic person | February 16, 2012 10:08 PMReply

There is a god.
Mn | February 16, 2012 9:09 PMReply

I am so incredibly disappointed by this. Ugh.