August 03, 2017
Rebecca Cabbage/Jordan Strauss/AP
Kevin Hart (L) poses for a portrait to promote The Wedding Ringer movie. Bryan Cranston (R) arrives at MPTF's 95th Anniversary Celebration "Hollywood's Night Under The Stars."
The Weinstein Company's remake of the award-winning French film "The Intouchables" starring Philadelphia's Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston has been renamed "The Upside."
Variety reported the title change on Wednesday. The movie previously had been called "Untouchable."
Parts of "The Upside" were filmed around Philly earlier this year and even shut down a few streets while the two cruised around in a Ferrari. The film follows the blossoming friendship between Dell, played by Hart, who is out of prison and unemployed and Phillip Lacasse, played by Cranston, a New York billionaire who became paralyzed after a hang-gliding accident.
Hart certainly took advantage of the time spent around his old stomping grounds. The actor/comedian posted a photo of his first apartment in North Philly and played a few surprise shows at local venues, too.
"The Upside" is no comedy, though, and it marks Hart's first dramatic role. The movie is set to premiere in theaters on March 9.
"I am so excited to play this character," Hart wrote in an Instagram post when he began shooting. "He is a character that is in the prison of his own making. He feels that the system is not only holding him back but that it refuses to give him a fair shot. Learning to care for others and other people's needs is what ultimately changes him. I can't wait for you guys to meet 'Dell.'"
Nicole Kidman, Julianna Margulies and Aja Naomi King also star in the film.
