Rebel Wilson Joins The Army! Actress Cast In Private Benjamin Remake

Pitch Perfect’s Rebel Wilson might just be about to take on her biggest role yet, as the lead in a modern remake of classic comedy, Private Benjamin.

Rebel Wilson has been recruited for Private Benjamin remake

The original film, which was released in 1980, starred Goldie Hawn as Judy Benjamin, a privilege woman duped into joining the army after her husband’s death. For her performance, Hawn received an Academy Award nomination for best actress in a leading role.

Variety reports that the remake, which comes from New Line studios, casts Wilson as an entirely different character to Hawn’s Judy Benjamin. This time the story will follow “a redneck who enlists in the Marines to get out of a tough situation.”

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There’s no word yet or what the movie might be entitled or who will be joining Rebel in the cast. So far, Mark Gordon, who worked on the Speed movies, is signed on to produce, whilst no director is currently attached to the project. The idea for the remake has been floating around Hollywood for a while now, with Anna Faris originally been said to have signed on in 2010. Now it seems with Wilson cast in the lead the project can finally move forward.

Goldie Hawn starred in the original 1980 movie

Wilson first came to mainstream attention for her role as Brynn in 2011 smash hit Bridesmaids. The Australian actress was then cast as Fat Amy in Pitch Perfect and is currently working on the sequel. She will next be seen onscreen in the third Night at the Museum movie, Secret of the Tomb. She's also taken to television, with her sitcom ‘Super Fun Night’ finishing its debut season this February on ABC.

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The new and up to date Private Benjamin will be looking to eclipse or at least equal the success of the original film at the box office. Upon its release in 1980 it became one of the year’s biggest hits, eventually grossing nearly $70million worldwide, over four times its original budget.

Rebel is currently working on Pitch Perfect 2

When Hawn took the leading role in 1980 she was already an established star, having won an Oscar in 1969 for Cactus Flower. In contrast, Wilson’s star is still emerging and although she’s given many memorable performances in her career so far, its mostly been in movies with a strong ensemble cast. Still, if any comedienne deserves to be able to reinvent a classic comedy, it’s Rebel, who will certainly bring her own unique flair to the project. As of now, there’s no indication when the movie will begin filming or when we can expect to see it in theatres.