Arthur (1981 film) followed by a sequel in 1988, "". Lead players Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, and John Gielgud, reprised their roles, as well as many supporting players such as Geraldine Fitzgerald, Barney Martin, and Ted Ross. It was first reported in 2008 that "Arthur" was to be remade by Warner Bros., with British actor/comedian Russell Brand in the lead role. Brand confirmed this during his March 10, 2009 appearance on "The Howard Stern Show". The remake was a critical and financial failure. This film had three Indian remakes. One was the 1984 Bollywood Hindi language film "Sharaabi" starring Amitabh Bachchan in the
Arthur (1981 film) the role of Hobson. According to Splitsider, John Belushi was also considered for Arthur. Initially Gordon wanted Moore to perform the role with an American accent, but this proved contentious as Moore had trouble performing with one and eventually convinced Gordon to let him use his natural English accent. Debra Winger reportedly turned down the role of Linda. Although the project was initially in the works at Paramount, they eventually dropped the project with Orion Pictures taking over. Promoting the film proved to be a challenge, reportedly six ad campaigns were discarded before a final one was decided upon. Pop