Why Have I Neglected You So?

Why I have neglected this blog for so long - when there's so much to talk about? I mean, a great V reboot on ABC, first pictures from The A-Team reimagining - even J.J. Abrams' Star Trek this summer.

Who knew rebooting would get so popular?

We'll be back soon. REAL soon. To start talking about all of that business.

More 'Ghostbusters 3' News - Weaver's On Board

Geoff Boucher from the L.A. Times reports that filming could get underway on Ghostbusters 3 as early as this winter. Exciting news for those of us at Movie Reboot, who launched this little blog with the hopes of generating interest in restarting this franchise (no, we had no effect whatsoever).

 

Boucher talks with Dan Akroyd about the upcoming film. Akroyd reveals some interesting tidbits:

 

1. Sigourney Weaver's on board. That rounds out the entire original cast. Totally awesome.
2. Bill Murray is not to blame for a delay in a sequel. All of the cast has been busy with other projects and, similar to aligning the stars to make the underwhelming Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls, the timing and script had to be just right – for everyone. (We love Bill Murray, so we've got his back.)
3. The film will be a passing of the torch and probably include female Ghostbusters. Akroyd like Alyssa Milano and Eliza Dushku.

 

More exciting for Reboot, the new film seems to be touching on pieces of the pitch we thought would make a great follow-up. Namely the passing of the torch to a younger generation of Ghostbusters (who didn't see that coming?) and the inclusion of female proton packers.

 

Of course, we're hoping Tina Fey straps on the pack rather than Alyssa Milano (whom we've worked with) and works alongside Akroyd's Ray Stantz. Fey is perfect for the role – and we bet she'd take it.

 

Somewhat of a bummer? Much talk of the original cast playing a smaller part in the film. C'mon, guys! Give us a full trilogy. Get out there and do some bustin'! Then retire so that the younger set can take on a second trilogy.

Dr. Shrinker! Dr. Shrinker!

I’m more than a little excited to see the new Land of the Lost movie with Will Farrell as Rick Marshall (Quick trivia part 1: The character Farrell played in Kevin Smith’s Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back was named for the main characters in Land of the Lost: Marshal Willen Holly) – if not for any other reason than because the Sleestaks in this production look much like the original Sleestaks in the kitschy Saturday morning sci-fi show (Quick trivia part 2: The Sleestaks in the original 1974 series were played by a number of NBA stars, including Bill Laimbeer and John Lambert).

Oh, that and because it proves, once more, that you can take an old, fun idea and reimagine it into something fun and different.

And while Land of the Lost is probably the best Sid and Marty Krofft vehicle to take a stab at on the big screen, there’s another property that I think deserve a reboot and a reimagining.

That would Dr. Shrinker.

Dr. Shrinker debuted on ABC’s Saturday morning lineup as one of several serials broadcast during The Krofft Supershow (other serials included Wonderbug and Electra Woman and Dyna-Girl).

The premise was simple. A trio of 20-somethings – Brad, B.J. and her brother Gordie – crash their plane on a mysterious island. Thinking it deserted, they soon discover the strange laboratory of Dr. Shrinker. One thing leads to another, and Dr. Shrinker uses his newly invented shrink ray to shrink the trio to six inches tall. They escape and Shrinker chases them.

Essentially, this was Lost meets Honey, I Shrunk the Kids before there was a Lost and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.

But, man, with today’s special effects technology, Dr. Shrinker could be one helluva fun – and funny – ride.

I’m not usually a fan of giving old shows The Brady Bunch Movie treatment – that is, poke fun at the source material and constantly wink at the audience. That pretty much ruined The Dukes of Hazzard. But in this instance, you have to go the comedy/adventure route.

And, if anything, this is Seth Rogen vehicle. Rogen would play Brad, the hapless everyguy trying to impress the incredibly rich B.J. (maybe Selma Blair?), a later-day Paris Hilton. Brad is pilot of the family’s private jet, and on a trip back from the Caribbean, the jet crash lands on Dr. Shrinker’s mysterious island. Now Brad must deal with the uppity B.J. and her snotty brother Gordie (my vote is for Seth Myers – not because he’s snotty, but because he could play snotty soooo well).

Shrinker’s a hard one to cast, but after his turn as Dr. Horrible in Joss Whedon’s Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog, Neil Patrick Harris would be a wonderful addition. The misunderstood mad scientist who just wants to be loved – and shrink things.

Comedy and adventure would ensue when Shrinker refuses to reverse the process, instead telling the Shrinkies that he plans to pickle them for later research. “I hope you don’t mind. It is for science, after all.”

The trio would escape into the island to face a miniature world of terrible dangers – snakes, spiders and other predators. They may even run into a hidden colony of other Shrinkies, former assistants, island visitors and lost seafarers – every one of them having easily escaped the good Doctor.

And though he comes to enjoy the life of a Shrinkie, Brad eventually decides to honor the wishes of B.J. and Gordie – who desperately want to get back to their life of fame and fortune – and mounts an attack against Dr. Shrinker. Leading the Shrinkies on a raid of Shrinker’s home, they succeed in overpowering him and reversing the process.

Of course, in the end, Brad decides to return to the island to lead the life of a Shrinkie – along with a fair number of Shrinkies who came to love their new life, free of the burdens of modern society.

And he is, of course, joined by B.J.

Who, of course, at the very end of the movie, whilst swimming in a puddle that to them is as big as an Olympic pool, and just before consummating their relationship, would say to her new beau, Brad:

“Talk about shrinkage.”

Ghostbusters 3 Gets Closer to Our Pitch Every Day!

Earlier this month, Harold “Egon Spengler” Ramis shot a note to the Chicago Tribune confirming that Ghostbusters 3 was in development and that Bill Murray was game to be a part of the production.

Interesting in the note is that Ramis, who also co-scripted both the original and Ghostbusters 2, alludes to the possible involvement of uber-comedy filmmaker of the day, Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, Superbad, Pineapple Express). In particular, Ramis writes “Judd Apatow is co-producing Year One and has made several other films for Sony, so of course the studio is hoping to tap into some of the same acting talent.”

Prior to editing our original pitch down, we had included a much more detailed opening scene aboard the U.S.S. Constitution. In it, we describe the grown Oscar Venkman (adopted son of Peter Venkman and biological son of Dana Barrett) as perhaps best played by Michael Cera.

Micheal Cera, well known for his roles in Arrested Development and Superbad, has the perfect pitch to play a dry-witted, younger Venkman, one that needs to grow into the boots of a ghostbuster. He’s an Apatow regular – and already his name is being bandied about.

I hope that any picture that develops isn’t swamped with Apatow talent, simply because this is really a New York/Second City show. Seth Rogen would fit well, but to capture the true spirit of the Ghostbusters – and if you gotta recast – I think you have to scoop from that well. Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers.

And here’s pullin’ for Tina Fey who has the attitude, the smarts and has the chutzpah to put on the proton pack.

Why haven’t they made The Breakfast Club 2?

Everyone who stands between 35 and 45 has a favorite scene from The Breakfast Club.

• Allison – The Basket Case, played by Ally Sheedy – shaking her hair to make snow, in the form of dandruff, fall on her No. 2 pencil on Desk landscape.
• Brian – The Brain, played by Anthony Michael Hall – confessing that he once tried to kill himself with a flare gun, and then getting high and telling us that “chicks can’t hold dey smoke.”
• Every clash between Andrew – The Athlete, played by Emilio Estevez – and Bender – The Criminal, played by Judd Nelson. And every clash Bender instigates.
• And, of course, The Princess – Claire – played by Molly Ringwald. I know the scene you’re thinking of, and of course I’m thinking of it, too. But beyond that, I was always partial to the scene where Claire and Allison share a friendly moment. Why? Because, as Claire says to Allison, “you’re letting me.”

So, in the 23 years since The Breakfast Club unspooled in theaters, why haven’t these five characters gotten back together?

It’s the same old story. Because no one can agree on anything.

John Hughes, the writer/producer/director, said no way in 1999, because the characters “would never come back together again” and that there “isn’t anything in their lives after high school relevant to that day.”

I beg to differ, and you’ll find that in my next post.

Earlier in this decade, there seemed to be some movement for a sequel, but that fell through again. Why, is anyone’s guess.

And then there’s the question of whether there should be a sequel. I’m all for films staying put without generating a sequel, regardless of success. That’s why you’ll never see a post for Forrest Gump 2 on these pages.

But some stories and characters demand re-visitation. The members of The Breakfast Club are five of them.

For those of us in high school when The Breakfast Club debuted – well, we related to these characters. We knew them, were friends with them, and were them. And like our flesh and blood classmates, we want to know what happened to them after graduation.

How does that usually come about?

High school reunions, of course.

In 1999, Hughes was quoted as saying there’s nothing relevant to high school that would get those five characters in the same room again.

Obviously he never went to any of his high school reunions.

Which leads us to: The Breakfast Club: Reunion.

The Breakfast Club: Reunion

Twenty-five years after serving time in the sprawling library of Shermer High School, our friends – The Brain, The Basket Case, The Athlete, The Criminal and The Princess – return to Shermer for their 25^th High School Reunion.

When we meet them, they seem terribly familiar, but are so different than the kids we knew in 1985.

• Brian Johnson works as a sports agent at a high-powered firm in downtown Chicago. He represents some of the top athletes in the world – and is in incredible shape himself. No longer The Brain, he has turned 180 degrees, having fought against everyone’s perception of him. In fact, he’s become The A—hole.
• Andrew Clark is out-of-shape and single again, after a lengthy divorce. A financial consultant at a mid-sized bank in Philadelphia, Andrew has learned to drown his sorrows in Scotch and soda. He’s no longer The Athlete. He’s the Sad Drunk.
• Allison Reynolds is drop-dead gorgeous. A soccer mom and marathoner, Allison got her act together in college – and got herself a fine arts degree – and now owns a hip gallery downtown. She’s two kids, a successful husband, and a figure to die for. She’s no longer the Basket Case, she’s the Who Is That Girl?
• John Bender calls Shermer High School home. He’s the popular shop teacher, in line to get his masters and maybe move in to administration. He feels good about himself, but his past – and his relationship with his father – have made his ego fragile. Andrew and Brian will challenge that ego, as they determine that he’s a sell-out and fraud. He’s no longer The Criminal, he’s The Man.
• Claire Standish hasn’t changed. She works for her mother’s business and still has the world handed to her on a silver platter. But she’s bored. Dreadfully bored. And fills the nooks and crannies of her life with risks and instant gratification. She’s still The Princess – but you’d best add Dangerous to that name. She works hard to fulfill a long-time fantasy: seeing what John Bender’s got under his hood.

While The Breakfast Club followed our friends throughout the course of a Saturday morning and mid-day, The Breakfast Club Reunion traipses through a Saturday night and dawn. Our friends are bubbling about in mid-life crisis – save for the two who we thought would crash and burn the worst.

The tables are turned as Bender schools his old Club mates on the finer points of the simple life, and Allison teaches us how to save the memories, but leave high school far behind.

Why Haven’t They Made Major League IV?

I can hear his voice ringing in my ears -- the voice of famed Cleveland Indians announcer Harry Doyle as the Tribe score the winning run in a one-game playoff against those wretched New York Yankees and secure a spot in the American League Championship Series: "The Indians win it! The Indians win it! Oh my god, the Indians win it!"

Of course, that win was all celluloid fun -- the final frames of the film Major League – which portrayed a fictional Indians ball club taking on a made-for-the-movies Yankee line-up.

This year’s version of the Indians (eight games out of first and 16 from a Wild Card berth) is nothing like last year’s, when the Tribe whipped the true-to-life, larger-than-life New York Yankees in the play-offs, a series everyone thought the Tribe would lose. That team brought back memories of sitting in my local multiplex (six screens back then, and no stadium seating – eek!) and cheering on the likes of Jake Taylor, Rick Vaughn and Willie “Mays” Hayes.

And it’s seasons like these that make me dig through the DVD collection to watch the movie version win it all – all over again. Of course I follow that up with the passable Major League II and the dismal Major League: Back to the Minors. Dismal in part because the series shifts away from Cleveland to the Minnesota Twins – and we can’t have that, right?

So why haven’t they extended the franchise and made Major League 4?

It could be that Major League: BTTM made $3 million, compared to Major League II’s $30 million and Major League’s $50 million. Plus, the story line was a little stale – and the shift from the Indians to the Twins may have alienated some fans. (Why the shift? Possibly because the Indians made it to the World Series in 1995, a year after Major League II debuted, thus negating their underdog status.)

Still, there’s no reason to go back to this well. And there’s actually one really good reason to do so.

Charlie Sheen.

Sheen played the lovable rebel Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn in both Major Leagues I and II and could be considered the heart and soul of the franchise. I could even wax philosophic with regard to Rick being the “hero” in Campbell’s “hero’s journey,” with Tom Berenger’s Jake Taylor his wise mentor. But that’s neither hither nor thither.

By the time Major League: BTTM debuted in 1998, Sheen was hitting bottom, having accidentally overdosed and landing on famed madam Heidi Fleiss’ client list.

He quickly turned it around, eventually playing a caricature of himself on the ABC sit-com Spin City, replacing Michael J. Fox. Sheen won rave reviews for his TV series debut, and when Spin City folded in 2002 (Sheen played Charlie Crawford and garnered a Golden Globe for his efforts), a new series was written with him in mind: CBS’s hit show Two and a Half Men.

His popularity renewed and his comedy chops bona fide, this is the perfect time for Charlie to return to one the film franchise that helped him make his mark.

My pitch, pun intended:

Major League IV

Retired flame thrower Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn is tapped to coach the United States team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He quickly discovers that he’s more of a figurehead than a real coach, as his all-star, high-priced, celebrity seeking line-up does only what they want, when they want, and care only about not getting hurt and shoring up their off-season deals.

Repulsed by this turn of events, and cajoled during a one-night bender with former teammate Jake Taylor, Vaughn sends his lineup packing. Faced with one-week to put together another team – and threatened with legal action and a life-time ban by the Commissioner of Baseball – Vaughn convinces Taylor to help him recruit whoever they can, wherever they can.

The reformed team includes members of Indians teams past (Willie “Mays” Hayes, Pedro Cerrano) and new recruits from the far reaches of the country. Ragtag as they come, they’ll have to get behind Vaughn and Taylor, overcome their wacky differences, if they hope to beat the World at America’s pastime.