Kevin Hart Says He’s Still Writing His ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ Remake with Will Smith

Writing a movie about a happily married Will Smith desperately trying to find his way back to his wife probably felt like a much easier task in a pre-Oscars slap era.

Since Kevin Hart first revealed that he and the Fresh Prince were planning to make their first joint film together with a Planes, Trains and Automobiles remake in 2020, quite a bit has changed in his future costar’s career — but Hart’s devotion to the project hasn’t. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight Canada, Hart confirmed that his reimagining of the John Candy and Steve Martin classic is still very much in the works despite the long delay in updates since the film was announced almost three years ago. Hart claims that they’re still “trying to crack the code” with the film’s script, and the project is still in the writing phase of development.

Despite the slow movement of the screenwriting process, Hart is nevertheless committed to recreating the magic of the Candy and Martin original — let’s see if they can finish writing it by next Thanksgiving.

When asked about the Planes, Trains and Automobiles reboot, Hart told Entertainment Tonight Canada, “Still writing! You’re talking about the remake for me and Will Smith?” which sounds exactly like something someone would say after being questioned about a work project they forgot they were supposed to have started by now. “That’s what we’re working on! Excited to figure something out with my guy. Both from Philadelphia, we’ve yet to do anything and we’re just doing ourselves a disservice,” Hart continued.

“So, trying to crack the code on this one,” Hart said of the screenwriting process, “But, like anything else, you cannot do it until it’s right, and sometimes that takes time. Lots of drafts, lots of rewrites, lots of brainstorming.” Seemingly aware of the suspicious lack of updates on a project between two Philadelphia megastars that studios should have been clamoring to produce, Hart added, “We’ll get it there, and when we do, it will be what it’s supposed to be, which is amazing.”

Obviously, Hollywood moves at its own pace, and even superstars like Hart and Smith sometimes have to practice patience when waiting for their pet project to get off the ground. However, going three years without a script doesn’t sound like the remake is heading toward opening night much faster than Martin and Candy moving toward Illinois in a burnt-out rental car.

A 77-year-old Martin could have walked from New York to Chicago and back in the time it’s taking Hart and Smith to scrounge up a screenplay. Then again, maybe the remake duo is just struggling to settle on a poster.