Actors Jack Nicholson and Kristen Wiig will star in a US remake of the film Toni Erdman, according to Variety.

Toni Erdmann, which focuses on the life of a German expat working in Bucharest, is among the five movies shortlisted for the Oscar for best foreign film in 2017. The movie was directed by German filmmaker Maren Ade and co-produced by Romanian Ada Solomon.

It was very well received by critics and audiences and was granted a host of awards, including the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) prize for best movie in the official competition at Cannes Film Festival this year, and the 2016 LUX Film Prize, granted by the European Parliament.

The remake will be a comeback for Nicholson, who hasn’t stared in any films since 2010. According to Variety, Paramount Pictures bought the rights for the remake, while Adam McKay, Kristen Wiig, Will Ferrell, and Jessica Elbaum would produce the film. Maren Ade, the screenwriter and director of the film, would be the remake’s executive producer. According to the same source, Nicholson "was a huge fan of the original."

German actors Peter Simonischek and Sandra Hüller have the leading roles in the original film. Several Romanian actors also play in the movie, including Vlad Ivanov, Ingrid Bisu, Alexandru Papadopol, Ozana Oancea, Cezara Dafinescu, and Victoria Cociaș. Most of the movie was shot in Bucharest.

Movie about German expat’s life in Bucharest enters competition for the Oscar

editor@romania-insider.com

(Photo: Franz Richter. Photo source: Wikipedia)