Wade Allain-Marcus is teasing what fans can expect from his upcoming Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead remake.
On Wednesday, the Insecure actor talked with ET’s Denny Directo from the premiere of Diarra From Detroit, sharing inside scoop on the remake of the 1991 cult classic starring Christina Applegate and David Duchovny. The new movie stars June Squibb, Nicole Richie and Jermaine Fowler.
“I want the fans to know that everybody who loves the original is gonna really, really enjoy what we did. It’s such a love letter and an homage to that OG version and also we really put our own thing on it and made it feel fresh and new and exciting,” the actor and writer said.
The new film — which premieres in theaters on April 12 — is centered on Tanya (Simone Joy Jones) who is left to take care of her siblings after her mom takes off and leaves them with an elderly babysitter. In the original, Applegate played Swell, the eldest sibling left with her siblings and an evil babysitter who quickly dies.
Allain-Marcus says they kept the core of the story the same and tried to craft the narrative around a new family that he believes the viewers will fall in love with just as quickly.
“You’re gonna fall in love with this family, this young Black family,” Allain-Marcus said. “It’s a sibling love story. That’s really what I see this movie as and what we’ve made it as, so I’m excited for people to see it.”
Details around the remake were kept quiet until just last month when the director hard-launched the trailer on social media and also announced the release date for the project.
“Vintage. April 12th. In theaters. Every city. I didn’t know this was the remake I needed either…. But I f**king did,” he wrote in a post on Instagram in February.
“This was my fav movie growing up 😍😍😍,” responded Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez.
“King Wade! So proud of you! 🔥🔥🔥,” added comedian Phoebe Robinson.
“LFG!!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 That DUDE,” shared Allain-Marcus’ Insecure co-star Jay Ellis.
As for his attendance at the Diarra From Detroit premiere, the filmmaker told ET that as a longtime fan of the show’s star and creator, Diarra Kilpatrick, he felt the need to show up and show his support.
“Diarra is a dear friend of mine,” he said. “[She’s] an artist, an actor, a writer, a filmmaker that I’ve followed and known for a very long time. And so to see this and, you know, what she’s created is just — it’s a really wonderful thing to be able to be part of this.”
The show — which also stars Morris Chestnut and Phylicia Rashad — follows a school teacher going through a divorce who refuses to believe she’s been rejected by a man she met on Tinder.
Watch the trailer for Diarra From Detroit in the player below:
Diarra From Detroit premieres March 21 on BET+.
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