Sandra Bullock to star in all-female reboot of Rob Ford crack video
Ned Petrie | CBC Comedy | Posted: August 15, 2016 4:25 PM | Last Updated: August 15, 2016
HOLLYWOOD, CA—Following months of speculation, Sandra Bullock has signed on to star in an all-female reboot of The Rob Ford Crack Video. Bullock will reprise the role made famous by late Toronto mayor Rob Ford in the 2013 original.
The Gravity actress confirmed her involvement at a San Diego Comic-Con panel, expressing excitement for the "opportunity to put a fresh spin on a modern classic."
Bullock joins a star-studded ensemble featuring Zoe Saldana, Taylor Swift, model Gigi Hadid, and Academy Award-winner Alicia Vikander as the crack pipe. The film, which has an estimated $140 million budget, is expected to follow the same plot as Mohamed Siad's original political drama. Nonetheless, director Paul Greengrass hopes to build upon the legacy of the original.
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"I speak for the whole creative team when I say that we wouldn't be making this film if we weren't already huge fans of The Rob Ford Crack Video and the whole Rob Ford Crack Video franchise," Greengrass said while showing off his personal collection of Crack Video action figures to the Comic-Con audience. The Captain Phillips director suggested fans think of their all-female version as an "extension and continuation" rather than a reboot.
Greengrass admitted there were many challenges in adapting Ford and Siad's celebrated screenplay.
"Well, first off, the original is only about 70 seconds long," estimated Greengrass, "which means we had to be economical in reimagining the Crack Video cinematic universe."
Still, he and Bullock have assured long-time Crack Video fans that the new film will adhere to the spirit of the original. "Everything you love will still be there," explained Bullock. "The dank room, the largely incomprehensible dialogue, the shaky camera, even the insults directed at Justin Trudeau. But now it's got a feminine twist."
Greengrass says he hopes the reboot will inspire a generation of young girls to become crack-smoking mayors.
However, production of the new film has not been without controversy. The project was met with instantaneous online backlash upon its announcement three months ago, mostly from male fans who consider the original sacrosanct. An online petition to boycott the reboot on the grounds that it is "ruining our childhoods" has already gathered 30,000 signatures, mostly from men whose childhoods occurred 25+ years ago and whose adult lives terrify them.
The film is scheduled for a Christmas release to qualify for Oscar consideration. Bullock has also signed for two additional all-female Rob Ford sequels: The Rob Ford Bumping Into A Camera At City Hall Video and That Video Of Rob Ford Falling Over With A Football.