Inspired by the 2000 movie What Women Want, starring the ever hateable Mel Gibson, What Men Want would star Empire actress Taraji P. Henson. She is also attached as executive producer.
The original film starred Gibson as a lazy, misogynistic stereotype who acquires the ability to hear what women think after a freak accident that should have killed him. He laughs and loves and spies on women’s thoughts in a totally not creepy way which leads to him learning lessons about respecting women. This proposed gender-bend of the concept would star Henson as a sports agent who acquires the same ability. She would use her new superpower to break the barriers holding her career back and help her sign the next big NBA superstar.
It’s kind of weird to return to this film after so many years. But hey, at least they’re doing something new with it. It could be a lot of fun. And with all the recent reporting of sexual abuse coming to life, there’s also an opportunity to make a relevant statement involving Henson’s character in a male-dominated profession full of testosterone-jack athletes. Though I find it hard to imagine it ever beating Dave Chappelle’s version of the movie. That’s a high bar to clear.
Paramount’s looking to hurry the film into theaters and has already set a release date for January 11, 2019.
