Jack Nicholson has one of the most impressive acting careers in Hollywood, famed for his unforgettable performances in Chinatown, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Shining and Batman, to name a few. He is a larger-than-life performer who has had been on movie sets for 60 years and racked up 12 Oscar nominations. However, the 81-year-old actor has been absent from the big screen for almost 10 years, and he is now no longer attached to any upcoming projects. Nicholson was previously set to make a long overdue return to film by starring in Hollywood remake of German comedy-drama, Toni Erdmann alongside Kristen Wiig, but he has now dropped out of the project. With news of director Lisa Cholodenko signing on to the comedy, whose past projects include Olive Kitteridge and The Kids Are All Right, also came word of Nicholson's exit, with the reason for his departure unknown.
According to The Wrap, Kristen Wiig will still be starring in Toni Erdmann, along with serving as a producer. The premise follows an older man with a knack for practical jokes and creating alter-egos for himself, who Jack Nicholson was signed on to play. In an effort to reconnect with his estranged daughter, a hard-working business woman, played by Wiig, he creates an outrageous persona and poses as the CEO's life coach. The German-language film the remake is based on came out in 2016 and was met with many accolades, such as receiving an Oscar's nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category. Nicholson apparently enjoyed the movie so much that he approached Paramount with a pitch to remake the film, and the studio secured the rights from writer-director Maren Ade, who also signed on to produce.
The film was the first project Jack Nicholson had signed on to in over seven years, with his last movie appearance being 2010's How Do You Know, opposite Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson and Paul Rudd. Rumors have since been swarming for quite some time as to if the actor decided to retire from Hollywood, reportedly due to memory issues, but the actor maintained that he just hadn't found projects that peaked his interest anymore. With Toni Erdmann, big names immediately signed on to produce; in addition to Maren Ade, The Big Short's Adam McKay and Will Ferrell had stakes in the project. Producing team Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner also were attached to the project, but dropped out, with Lisa Cholodenko taking over writing duties in the spring before also becoming the director.
The future of the legendary on-screen presence is up in the air again now that he is officially back on hiatus. Jack Nicholson may have 75 acting credits on his resume, but we think he has more in him, if he ever decides to make a triumphant return.
