Halle Berry and Natalie Desselle helped turn B.A.P.S. into a cult favorite. The 1997 film was a far cry from movies Berry tackled at the time, but the Oscar-winning actress delivered comedy gold in the Robert Townsend flick. Sadly, Desselle passed away in 2020, but conversations regarding a potential reboot have muddled around Hollywood. Townsend recently chatted with Slash Film about reboot rumors, but he reportedly claimed Desselle’s passing had thwarted his interest.
“The thing that I would say is this: I’m a filmmaker. It’s a well-made movie,” said the legendary filmmaker. “And if you go on the ride and go, ‘Oh, it’s two country girls trying to make some money and then they find who they are, and at the end of the day, they do win. But it’s because they’re being honest and transparent.’ Do gold diggers or women that have ulterior motives exist? Yeah. These two country girls from Decatur, Georgia, got caught up in the scheme, but at the end of the day, we reveal their heart, and it’s a love story.”
Up In The Air
He continued.”There’s people that love, love, love the film and some people that didn’t get it. And those that love it — like you love it and you get it — I’ve had people go, ‘Hey, we want to do a remake.’ Everybody from Megan Thee Stallion to Cardi B is like, ‘Could we do…’” Still, even with all of the excitement about an update, Townsend is unsure. “I mean, it’s like, I don’t know. So, thank you for asking.”
Townsend also said he would love to see a film like B.A.P.S. added to the Criterion Collection. “It’s kind of interesting because some people love B.A.P.S. and then some people don’t like B.A.P.S., and some people are mad because they go, ‘You gave Halle Berry gold teeth and blonde hair.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I did!’”
Townsend Loves That B.A.P.S. Is Still Celebrated
He added, “And then they was like, ‘Why is Robert doing this kind of comedy?’ But it’s like The Beverly Hillbillies. It was funny and silly. It’s so funny because people want a sequel to that and … I don’t know. And then Natalie [Desselle] passed away. But I would love to do a Criterion on B.A.P.S. I really would, so thank you for asking.”
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