Ben Affleck has been scouting a script that would be his followup to the critically acclaimed The Town, and he may have found it after a reworked script based on Ken grimwood’s 1987 novel Replay.
Moviefone calls it 17 Again crossed with Groundhog Day:
Ken Grimwood first published his novel ‘Replay’ in 1987, and Hollywood came calling shortly thereafter. ‘Replay’ tells the story of a 43 year-old radio journalist who suffers a fatal heart attack only to wake up 25 years earlier in his 18 year-old body with all of his adult memories intact. All seems well and good until he becomes 43 for a second time and suffers from another bout of the same body-shifting episode. And repeat. And repeat. Etc…
I am a sucker for these second chance body swapping type movies. And Ben Affleck is a talented guy (which I have been saying since before The Town made everyone love him)
When the very similar Groundhog Day explored reliving a day in your life over and over, the door closed on the opportunity for this script, but Jason Smilovic has delivered a new version of the script that appears to have a lot of potential.
With the success of The Town, Affleck could direct and star in this himself and no studio would think twice about it.
I’ve read the novel several times. the concept is exciting and Mr. Grimwood realy leads you on an enchanted journey. My ideal scenario would be for one of the premium cable channels (HBO, SHOWTIME, etc.) to make a series out of this story. I believe that some of the talented scriptwriters could make it fun and intriguing.
I’m sure there will be positive qualities to this movie. I still think Ben Affleck has a knack for crime-drama movies, and would probably do well making an action flick.
” All seems well and good until he becomes 43 for a second time and suffers from another bout of the same body-shifting episode”
You mean to tell me this guy will live forever, be young forever. Will be rich forever(he must know the lotto numbers) I am not seeing the bad part. With groundhog day you couldn’t accomplish much in a day, but 25 years is a long time to drastically change your life each time.
My point is, they made it sound like it is a curse, but it doesn’t seem like it to me.
But each time he has to re-live that 25 year span, improving his life and living it the way he wants and no doubt getting exactly what he wants, only to have to lose it. His heart attack and “reset” has to feel more like everyone else is dying instead of him.
25 years of emotional investment in the people around you to have them all disappear in a blink has to be traumatic.
It’s like being forced to play a Final Fantasy game over and over again.
I can see why it would get tiresome.