"The Longest Yard" Movie Is Being Remade for Second Time

"The Longest Yard",  originally starred Burt Reynolds in 1974 and was remade starring Adam Sandler in 2005, is set to receive another remake at Paramount Pictures.

Rodney Barnes, who was an exec producer and writer on HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, is scripting the pic. 

It comes from Gunpowder & Sky, whose CEO Van Toffler was an exec producer on the 2005 version when he worked at then-MTV owner Viacom. Toffler is producing with former MTV Films boss David Gale, who reunited with Toffler at Gunpowder & Sky and who also exec produced the Sandler version.

The 1974 original was based on a story by Al Ruddy, directed by Robert Aldrich and written by Tracy Keenan Wynn. It starred Reynolds as Paul “Wrecking” Crewe, a former star quarterback who is sentenced to 18 months in Citrus State Prison, where he puts together the Mean Machine team to play the guards’ team.

The movie was remade in 2005 by director Peter Segal and written Sheldon Turner, starring Sandler as a washed-up quarterback, who puts together a team in prison in exchange for a reduced sentence. 

Chris Rock, James Cromwell, Nelly and William Fichtner also starred, as did Reynolds. Both versions were released by Paramount.