USA'sClifford Werber Productions and Brazil'sTotal Entertainment will produce the English language remake of the romanticcomedy If I Were You (Se Eu FosseVocê), the most successful Brazilian film of the year. Produced by Total, inassociation with Lereby, Fox Film do Brasil and Globo Filmes (the film arm ofleading Brazilian broadcaster Globo TV), IfI Were You has sold more than 3.6 million tickets in Brazil since itsdebut on January 6.

In the original, the leading roles are played by soap stars Gloria Piresand Tony Ramos. Directed by Daniel Filho, another TV veteran, If I Were You follows the life of acouple who face a supernatural experience and switch bodies, which makes them to see the relationship from the opposite point of view.

"Not many foreign-language comedies merit the exercise of remake astheir humour is often difficult to translate," saysproducer Clifford Werber. "But the story of a relatively happy married couplewhose sensitivity for each other is forever heightened after switching bodiesdraws upon universal relevance and appeal.''

Werber's previous remake experience includes his experience at 20thCentury Fox, where he was involved with the production of the American versionsof two French films: La Totale (1991), whichbecame True Lies (1994), and Neuf Mois (1994), which became Nine Months (1995).

The remake was announced during Rio International Film Festival thatends tonight. So far the director and actors have not been attached to the film,which is likely to be shot in US. "We are confident that the remake willresonate with US and worldwide audiences as successfully as If I Were You didwith Brazilian audiences," says Werber. "While the US market has seena few body-swapping films, such as FreakyFriday, Switch and All of Me, this will be the first since1940's Turnabout in which the spellis cast on husband and wife."






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