“Death At A Funeral” The Speediest Movie Rebirth Ever

Director Neil LaBute has no problem with making an American, urban remake "Death At a Funeral," even if the original is a very recent cult classic.

It was only 2007 when Frank Oz directed a British cast in the hilarious original of "Death at a Funeral."  But LaBute tells PopcornBiz that didn't stop an ensemble cast led by Chris Rock from going at it again so soon afterward.

"In the end, I had no qualms about making a movie that was remade very quickly," he says.

"I thought abut it for a moment," LaBute adds. "But I saw the original at the Beverly Center at one of those theaters that no one goes to. So I knew it wasn't represented in the States very well."

Chris Rock too had seen the original at an art house with like 10 people in the theater. "I thought this is pop movie, why's it playing in an art house?" said Rock. "Me and the other 10 people were laughing our a---s off in a theater with no people."

"I thought the jokes would work to an American audience."

The movie is quite faithful to the original and has an interesting common theme -- Peter Dinklage places a diminutive mystery man intent on getting a payoff from the grieving family in both films.

"It's actually one of the first remakes to have an actor repeat his very role," says LaBute. They did give a rougher version of the character in the latest "with a leather jacket and a little bit of a beard and a slightly nastier attitude in going after the money."

LaBute says the idea for Dinklage playing both roles actually came from the original director Frank Oz.

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