Taraji P Henson to Take Mel Gibson Role in Updated Version of 'What Women Want'

Taraji P. Henson will executive produce and star in the Paramount comedy “What Men Want,” which the studio has set for release on January 11, 2019.

The film, inspired by Nancy Meyers’ 2000 romantic comedy “What Women Want,” follows a female sports agent (Henson) who has been constantly boxed out by her male colleagues.

When she gains the power to hear men’s thoughts, she is able to shift the paradigm to her advantage as she races to sign the NBA’s next superstar.

Also Read: Taraji P. Henson Joins 'Ralph Breaks The Internet': D23 Expo

The new film be produced by Will Packer and James Lopez; no director has yet been named.

Meyers’ original starred Mel Gibson as a chauvinistic ad executive who gains the ability to hear what women are thinking after a fluke accident. He tries to use it to his advantage on a woman (Helen Hunt) who got a promotion over him — but winds up falling for her instead.

The film became a giant hit, earning nearly $183 million domestically — and another $191 million in overseas box office.

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Henson, who stars in the Fox hit “Empire,” has kept busy on the big screen as well. She earned widespread acclaim for her role in last year’s “Hidden Figures,” and is due to appear next year in the crime thriller “Proud Mary,” Tyler Perry’s wronged-woman drama “Acrimony” and the civil rights drama “The Best of Enemies.”

17 Beloved Rom-Coms for Valentine's Day, From 'Notting Hill' to 'Silver Linings Playbook' (Photos)

It may be a Hallmark holiday, but these beloved films still bring us to tears every Valentine's Day.
Back in the 1940s, "The Philadelphia Story," Katherine Hepburn set the bar for fiery feminism as a society girl choosing between two beaus, Cary Grant and James Strewart.
MGM
The 1971 cult hit "Harold and Maude" is the best movie about an affair between a suicidal teen and an 80-year-old woman ever made, thanks to Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort.
Paramount
Woody Allen's witty and bittersweet "Annie Hall," which he directed and starred in with Diane Keaton, won the Best Picture Oscar and would be perfect for a 1977 time capsule (if you can watch Allen four decades on without squirming).
MGM
In the John Landis-directed 1988 hit "Coming to America," Eddie Murphy taught us -- hilariously -- to love whomever we want, just do it for the right reasons.
Paramount
Rob Reiner's 1989 hit "When Harry Met Sally..." is still remembered for Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan's iconic deli scene that prompted the line "I'll have what she's having" to be repeated by millions of movie-goers.
Columbia
Julia Roberts and Richard Gere were a prostitute and a businessman in the iconic Cinderella story, "Pretty Woman," and the 1990 R-rated romance raked in $460 million at the worldwide box office for Disney.
Disney
Andie MacDowell turns jaded weatherman Bill Murray around ... and around and around in 1993's "Groundhog Day." It only grossed $70 million for Columbia but became a huge home entertainment hit.
Columbia
Without Ben Stiller's burning love for Cameron Diaz, the Farrelly brothers' 1998 hit "There's Something About Mary" would have been just a $390 million-grossing gross-out flick.
Fox
Richard Curtis' followup to "Four Weddings and a Funeral" saw travel bookshop owner Hugh Grant woo Hollywood superstar Julia Roberts in the hip London neighborhood of "Notting Hill." The 1999 British comedy won over moviegoers on both sides of the Atlantic and earned a worldwide gross of $364 million.
Fox
Mel Gibson got more than he bargained for when he started reading the mind of Helen Hunt and other females in "What Women Want." So did Paramount, when the 2000 film took in $182 million domestically and $191 million abroad.
Paramount
Renée Zellweger had a tougher time loving herself than her two beaus in "Bridget Jones's Diary," which grossed $218 million globally in 2001.

Miramax
Nia Vardalos and John Corbett had Americans going "opa!" in 2002 as "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" took in $241 million domestically for IFC Films, which is still tops for both an indie film and a rom-com.
Universal
Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen were a very odd couple in Judd Apatow's 2007 raunchy comedy hit "Knocked Up," which made $219 million at the box office.
Universal
Sarah Jessica Parker finally landed Mr. Big in the 2009 "Sex and the City" movie, and New Line joined in the celebration after bagging $415 million at the box office.
Warner Bros.
Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper fought mental illness and themselves to find love in David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook," which grossed $236 million in 2012 for The Weinstein Company.
Weinstein Company
Battling the too-friendly frat boys next door strengthens the bond between Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen in "Neighbors," which took in $270 million worldwide in 2014.
Universal
"Trainwreck" put Amy Schumer's career on the fast track with its $110 million breakout at the box office in 2015.
Universal Pictures