Photo by Jacob Ogles: Sophia Loren alongside animated rendering of a Grumpier Old Man.

Is Sarasota ready for more Grumpy Old Men? Sophia Loren at a Sarasota event announced she would produce and star in a reboot of the classic film reimagined as a seaside series set to stream on Netflix starting in April. “This film was the most rewarding of my career, and I’m delighted to bring it life again here,” said Loren, who accepted a cinema Legend award Thursday night from the Sarasota Film Festival.

But what of the actual men in the film? Of course, regular screen partners Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau have passed, but modern technology erases the need to recast. Turning to the animation students at Ringing College of Art and Design, the folks that made such a realistic depiction of Amy Pohler in Pixar’s Inside Out that many mistook it for a live action cameo, recreated versions of The Odd Couple stars have already been rendered and are ready to pout anew.

Sarasota County, a region that boasts a reputation both as a retirement haven and growing film community, seemed the perfect region to tell the tale of aged glory-seekers chasing women and cutting bait. Of course, viewers may note Loren actually appeared in the sequel Grumpier Old Men, while Ann-Margret played a major female role in both the original and the sequel. So will the Canadian songstress also make an appearance in the new series? Anything is possible, Loren said. “I’ve always thought a project was better when it could feature Two Women,” she said.

Photo by Jacob Ogles: Sophia Loren alongside animated rendering of a Grumpier Old Man.

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