'Uptown Saturday Night' remake starring Denzel Washington, Will Smith still in the works

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A much-anticipated remake of the classic comedy Uptown Saturday Night, starring Will Smith and Denzel Washington, is still in the works, according to a new report from Variety.

Warner Brothers, which is developing the project, has signed on Forgetting Sarah Marshall writer Nicholas Stoller to pen the script and Anchorman filmmaker Adam McKay to direct.

“Smith and Washington are committed to getting the film off the ground, with a summer shoot being eyed. Both stars must be on board with the latest draft or it’s a no-go,” reports Variety.

Uptown Saturday Night was hit with predominately black audiences when it was released back in 1974. It starred icons Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier in the leads as working class guys who pose as hustlers in a get rich quick scheme. The film also featured Harry Belafonte in an uproarious spoof of Marlon Brando’s role in The Godfather.

Smith has done buddy comedies better than almost anyone with the Men In Black and Bad Boys being fan favorites but the film would mark a huge departure for Washington, who has never made a full-blown on-screen comedy before.

If the film does indeed go into production is could hit theaters exactly 40 years after the original.