Planes, Trains And Automobiles Remake - What We Know So Far

Ready or not, there is another big Hollywood remake on the way. This time we're getting an updated version of the '80s comedy classic Planes, Trains and Automobiles, per a report by Deadline. The original film was directed by John Hughes and starred Steve Martin and John Candy as a pair of mismatched traveling businessmen who have to put their personality clashes behind them and team up to make it home to Chicago during a particularly turbulent Thanksgiving traveling experience.

The remake is coming to us as a joint effort of Westbrook Studios and Hartbeat Productions, the production companies of Will Smith and Kevin Hart. Smith and Hart will also be bringing their talents in front of the camera to star in the upcoming film. Aeysha Carr, a TV writer and producer who has worked on shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Everybody Hates Chris, and the upcoming Hulu original series Woke, will pen the script in her feature film debut.

Depending on how you feel about remakes and the sanctity of John Hughes movies, this news will either be joyous or horrifying. Either way, we're going to break down what we know so far about the upcoming remake of Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

The news about a Planes, Trains and Automobiles remake is huge, but as of right now, it's just news. From the sounds of the announcement, the film is in the early stages of production and likely hasn't started filming yet. There also weren't any clues in about when we should expect to see the remake. However, if it's anything like the original, we do have an educated guess for when we can expect to see the movie.

The original film's plot centers around the notoriously berserk Thanksgiving travel season in the US. Presumably, the studio behind the film wanted to capitalize on the connection to the holiday, as the movie premiered in American theaters on November 25, 1987, the day before Thanksgiving that year.

Although these types of star-studded comedies typically come out during the summer movie season, we wouldn't be surprised if the remake of Planes, Trains and Automobiles follows the lead of the original and comes out around the winter holidays. Of course, the movie could throw us a curveball and drop the Thanksgiving element altogether, but we won't know for sure until we have more details. Our best guess right now is that we'll be seeing the new film in either the winter of 2021 or 2022 — and more likely the latter, with the movie industry set for a long, slow return to normal moving forward from 2020.

As we mentioned before, the Planes Trains and Automobiles remake has landed two huge stars to headline the project: Will Smith and Kevin Hart. One thing that hasn't been announced yet, however, is who will play which part. In the original film, Steve Martin played Neal Page, a straight-laced and easily annoyed marketing executive, and John Candy played Del Griffith, a rough-around-the-edges and endlessly chatty purveyor of shower curtain rings. To us, the most obvious casting would be Smith in the Martin role and Hart in the Candy part. Similar to the Thanksgiving release question, that theory assumes that the remake keeps the basic character archetypes from the original.

Another big question is whether there will be any cameos from the original film. Unfortunately, John Candy is no longer with us, but Steve Martin could potentially show up in the remake. As for other roles, no further casting announcements have been made. The original film is really a two-person show, with the rest of the roles mostly being bit parts and cameos. Given the stars at the top of the production, we suspect there will be a few more famous faces from the comedy world popping up in the cast, even if they do have smaller roles.

The plot of the original Planes, Trains and Automobiles is relatively simple. In the days before Thanksgiving, marketing executive Neal Page is trying to make it back home to Chicago after a disappointing business meeting in New York. While rushing to the airport, he meets the boisterous Del Griffith, who is also attempting to return to the Windy City. The unlikely travel companions get stuck in Witchita, Kansas after a blizzard diverts their flight, thus beginning a long, tumultuous odyssey to make their way home.

In the announcement for the remake, there wasn't much mention about how the new film plans to update the plot. Our guess is that the basic premise — two mismatched personalities banding together to get from point A to point Z with lots of comedic obstacles in their path — will remain the same. What's likely to be given a contemporary update are all the detours, hijinks, and side characters they encounter along the way.

However they decide to update the plot, the production is in good hands with Smith and Hart at its center. We're hoping the journey to us getting more details about the remake of Planes, Trains and Automobiles isn't quite as long as the one in the film.