Ready for the further previous adventures of Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara?
According to the good folks at JoBlo.com, producer Michael Siegel is prepping a film version of Elmore Leonard's 1978 novel THE SWITCH, in which the author introduced the ex-cons played by Samuel L. Jackson and Robert De Niro in Quentin Tarantino's adaptation of RUM PUNCH, JACKIE BROWN. I've never read THE SWITCH, but I adore JACKIE BROWN, and would certainly be happy to seeing Ordell and Lou-issss doing dirt on the big screen again.
The narrative of THE SWITCH finds the duo kidnapping the wife of "a wealthy Detroit developer" - which goes south when the husband is more than happy to be rid of the woman and refuses to pay the ransom. This forces Ordell and Louis to improvise a secondary scheme, one that involves the plenty-pissed-off wife they shanghaied. I guess this was the inspiration for the Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker's RUTHLESS PEOPLE*?
Dan Schechter, who wrote and directed the 2007 indie GOODBYE BABY, will pen the screenplay and produce with Siegel, while Leonard will take an Executive Producer credit. Obviously, Tarantino will not be returning to direct, but the project does have his blessing, which - along with Leonard's involvement - is encouraging. Let's just hope they can find a pair of actors who won't buckle under the pressure of performing in the incredibly intimidating shadows of Jackson and De Niro.
*Or, better yet, drawn from "The Ransom of Red Chief", the O. Henry story which inspired RUTHLESS PEOPLE.
