He’s riffed on countless action movie tropes across Sony’s Jump Street series and will soon rub shoulders with the Men in Black. But for his latest, Channing Tatum is in line to join Jillian Bell for Disney’s long-rumored Splash remake, which will flip the tables by having the mermaid as a man and the human as a woman.
It’s a twist that was already in the cards and today, Deadline has made it official; whereas Tom Hanks and Darryl Hannah headlined Ron Howard’s cult hit as human and mermaid, respectively, Tatum and Jillian Bell are part of Disney’s gender-swapped version, which has already enlisted the support of both Howard and Brian Glazer as producers.
According to Deadline, the overhauled Splash redo hails from Channing Tatum himself, while Marja-Lewis Ryan is the scribe on board to make that ambitious idea a reality. Detractors may claim that it is change for the sake of change, but Tatum’s infectious energy has proved instrumental across both Jump Street and the Magic Mike series – two series where he was actively involved as creative producer – so it’d be foolish to rule out the possibility that the actor will transform the forgotten ’80s gem into a cult hit.
So, there you have it; rather than churn out a by-the-numbers remake that sings from the same hymn sheet as its forebear, Disney’s Splash redo will fly in the face of tradition by having Channing Tatum and Jillian Bell star as merman and human, respectively. But is that enough to pique your curiosity?