A ‘Clueless’ remake is coming

Clueless, the much-loved teen comedy, which catapulted Alicia Silverstone and Brittany Murphy to fame in the mid-90s, is to be remade by Paramount. The new film will be produced by Tracy Oliver, the co-writer of Girls Trip, the ensemble female comedy that proved an enormous hit last year — and catapulted Tiffany Haddish to stardom.

Taking on writing duties for the new film is Marquita Robinson, best known for her work on Netflix series Glow.

Loosely based on Jane Austen’s Emma, the original Clueless was written and directed by Amy Heckerling and set in an affluent suburb of Los Angeles. Silverstone played Cher, a popular, zeitgeist-savvy teenager who plays matchmaker for new girl Murphy, who she also makes over. Stacey Dash played Cher’s best friend; Paul Rudd her stepbrother.

Clueless took $56 million (Dh205.6 million) at the US box office on release, but has had a considerable afterlife in pop culture — with phrases such as “As if!” popularised by the film — and on TV and even the stage.

The small-screen spin-off ran for two seasons in the late 90s, with Dash reprising her role and Rachel Blanchard taking over the part of Cher. An off-Broadway stage version will premiere next month, starring Dove Cameron as Cher.