So Here’s The New Laurel & Hardy

I don’t remember much about Laurel & Hardy other than the fact that someone in my house would put their VHS tapes on from time to time.  So given how long they’ve been off screen, maybe it’s time for a reboot.

Screen Daily is reporting that Steve Coogan (Philomena, Alan Partridge) will play Stan Laurel and John C. Reilly (Guardians of the Galaxy, Step Brothers) will portray Oliver Hardy in BBC Films’ Stan & Ollie, a Laurel & Hardy biopic centering on the final 1953 UK tour of the famed comedy duo.

To be directed by Jon S. Baird (Filth), the screenplay for the Laurel & Hardy biopic has been written Jeff Pope, the Oscar-nominated writer of Philomena. BBC Films developed the feature alongside Faye Ward’s Fable Pictures and Jeff Pope’s Sonesta Films.

“When I watch their movies, in my head it is forever a Saturday morning and I am six years old watching the TV at home utterly spellbound,” said Pope. “I am aware of the huge responsibility of bringing their characters to life, but I have not treated the boys with kid gloves or looked at them through rose coloured specs. They are living and breathing characters, with flaws and shortcomings. The research into this story threw up so many details and facts that I had no idea about. But everything I have done has come from a place of love and more than anything else I hope this shines through.”

Another fine mess.. definitely a line I remember.