Nearly 40 years after the Clint Eastwood comedy Every Which Way But Loose hit theaters, a remake is moving forward. James Fargo, who directed the original movie, has come aboard to produce this Every Which Way But Loose reboot, bringing Anthony Cohen on board to direct. The filmmaker made his feature directorial debut with last year's The Sex Trip, which stars Jim Hanks, Frank Stallone and Louis Mandylor, the younger brothers of Tom Hanks, Sylvester Stallone and Costas Mandylor.

Deadline reports that James Fargo has been quietly searching for a director for the past year, with production now set to begin in late spring. No cast members have been announced at this time, but James Cohen revealed in a statement to Deadline that he knew Anthony Cohen was right for Every Which Way But Loose after watching his film The Sex Trip. Here's what he had to say below.

"I have been interviewing directors for over a year and as soon as I watched Cohen's film The Sex Trip ... I knew instantly he was the right director for this picture. I was very impressed with his film and his directing style."

The original movie stars Clint Eastwood as Philo Beddoe, an easy-going trucker and a great fist-fighter. With two friends, Orville (Geoffrey Lewis), who promotes prize-fights for him, and Clyde, the orangutan he won on a bet, he roams the San Fernando Valley in search of cold beer, country music and the occasional punch-up. But he is floored himself by a dainty little country and western singer, who gives him the slip when she realizes he's getting too serious. The supporting cast includes Sondra Locke, Beverly D'Angelo and Walter Barnes.

Every Which Way But Loose became quite the box office hit, earning $85.1 million during its theatrical run in 1979. When adjusted for inflation, that equates to a $314,9 million movie today. The movie spawned the 1979 sequel Any Which Way You Can, which brought back Clint Eastwood and the rest of the cast, directed by Buddy Van Horn. With production scheduled to begin this spring, we should hear more about the cast of this Every Which Way But Loose remake. Anthony Cohen has also directed the TV movie Grand Race Auto, which is currently in post-production.