Ifa remakeof the comedy classicCluehad to be made, it seemed like pairingRyan Reynoldsup with co-star and directorJason Batemanwas a good idea. Hot on the heels of winning an Emmy for directing the Netflix seriesOzark, Batemanentered talks to direct20th Century Studios’Clueremake last fall. In February 2020, however, it was announced that Bateman was no longer attached to the project andJames Bobin(Alice Through the Looking Glass)entered talksto take the helm instead.
So what happened? Collider’s own Steve Weintraub asked Bateman that question during a recent exclusive interview about the actor, producer, and filmmaker’s work onOzarkSeason 3. Bateman explained that he was forced to drop out ofCluewhen it became clear that the time commitment to the project wouldn’t work within the constraints of hisOzarkschedule:
“[Clueis] something that we were getting very close to starting, but as it turned out something of that size takes much, much longer to do than what the seasonal hiatus was able to accommodate. It would have pushed back the start of this season too far. So unfortunately I had to step off of that.”
Bateman noted that ifClueis still in development onceOzarkis all done, he’d be more than happy to return to the project, and it sounds like theBad WordsandFamily Fangfilmmaker is eager to tackle a big feature film in the future:
“But if it’s still around whenOzarkis all wrapped up, I’d love to do it. But who knows, they might put a different director on it before then. We’ll see. Unfortunately my ability to direct features really kind of—there’s a certain size of a film that I just can’t qualify for [right now] because of the amount of time that I’m able to give in prep, in shooting, and in post.”
Ozarkhas yet to be renewed for a fourth season, but as one of Netflix’s most popular series that renewal is expected to happen sooner rather than later. Bateman serves as a director on that show so he gets to take the helm on the small screen, but having seen his talent only grow—especially on HBO’sThe Outsiderthis year—I’m excited to eventually see him work on a much larger project.
Look for more from our interview with Bateman on Collider soon.
