Forte & Robbins: The "Switch" Is On

Will Forte and Oscar winner Tim Robbins have signed on to replace Ty Burrell and Dennis Quaid in the film adaptation of Elmore Leonard''s 1978 crime novel "The Switch" reports Deadline and  Variety

"Switch" is a prequel to Leonard's Rum Punch which was adapted into Quentin Tarantino's 1997 film "Jackie Brown". John Hawkes and Mos Def play the younger versions of Louis Gara and Ordell Robbie, the characters Robert De Niro and Samuel L. Jackson played in 'Jackie'.

The story takes a slightly different approach to the same premise as the 1986 comedy "Ruthless People". In this the two ex-cons kidnap and ransom the wife (Jennifer Aniston) of a crooked real estate developer (Robbins). The husband refuses to pay the ransom as he sees it as an opportunity to get rid of his wife. The kidnappers then team up with her to get all of her husband’s money.

Forte will play Marshall Taylor, a married country club member who harbors a crush on the wife and spends most of the film in a moral dilemma after witnessing her kidnapping.

Dan Schechter ("Supporting Characters") is adapting the script and will direct.

Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Lee Stollman, Leonard and Michael Siegel are producing.

Production will kick off in Mayand next month.