Kevin Hart Developing Scrooged Remake

Jumanji and The Secret Life of Pets star Kevin Hart is developing a remake of Scrooged, the 1988 Richard Donner-directed Christmas comedy that starred Bill Murray, THR revealed Friday.

Studio Paramount Pictures is now searching for a writer to pen the vehicle, inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Hart will produce via his Hartbeat Productions.

The original Scrooged starred Murray as Frank Cross, a cynical and absorbed television executive who is visited by three spirits on Christmas Eve. Karen Allen, Bobcat Goldthwait, Alfre Woodard, David Johansen, Carol Kane, Robert Mitchum, and John Forsythe co-starred.

Hart, who first returns to the Jumanji franchise alongside Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan in the Welcome to the Jungle sequel out this December, will next shoot drama Fatherhood for Sony Pictures. Hart has also long been attached to a remake of The Great Outdoors, another 1988 comedy that starred Dan Aykroyd and John Candy as competing in-laws on a family vacation in the woods.

The comedian-slash-actor also recently appeared in a remake of French dramedy The Intouchables, The Upside, where he starred alongside Bryan Cranston.

“Back in the world of Jumanji, but the beautiful thing about the way we set it is through the video game atmosphere. In this particular case we go back into the game and we’re in a new level,” Hart told Collider of the Jake Kasdan-directed Jumanji 3, out from Sony December 13.

“And the way we got back into the game is the way we didn’t want to get back into the game. The same people are there. Our same band is back together with this adventure on a much more risky adventure. The stakes have been elevated and raised. For a fan base, you want to give them the same family action adventure they fell in love with. So we just wanted to make sure we delivered. Jake Kasdan, our director and writer, he does just that.”