Mining TV for More Blockbuster Gold

Making a TV show into a feature film is nothing new. Star Trek, The Simpsons, The Fugitive, Maverick, Charlie’s Angels, Mission: Impossible, Scooby-Doo, Starsky & Hutch, Miami Vice, Transformers, and S.W.A.T. are just a few of the many movies that started as TV shows before getting the silver screen treatment. In their strident pursuit of originality, Hollywood’s filmmakers have never been afraid to dip into the television well to find “new” ideas for their next feature.

This summer, TV shows adapted into films are all the rage yet again. With the success of Sex and the City and The Incredible Hulk (yes, I know, it was a comic book first — but give props to the Ferrigno tv series) and the big-budget Get Smart and X-Files: I Want to Believe on their heels, Hollywood is tapping the television well early and often.

The Next Wave: Adaptations In Development

The next couple years don’t show any signs of slowing the trend. Studios are already queuing up a fleet of television adaptations for the next few years, including:

• G.I. Joe – in production now, helmed by The Mummy and Van Helsing director Stephen Sommers, and starring Dennis Quaid as Hawk, Brendan Fraser as Gung Ho, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Cobra Commander, and Sienna Miller as the Baroness.
• The A-Team – directed by John Singleton and rumored to be starring Bruce Willis and Woody Harrelson, but also Tyrese as B.A. Baracus.
• 21 Jump Street – written and executive produced by — and most likely starring — Jonah Hill (seriously)
• Arrested Development – before the critical darling/ratings disappointment was even off the air people were already outling ideas for a feature. Bateman confirmed there have been talks, but they’ve still gotta lock that down.
• I Dream of Jeannie – has been a rumored part for every popular young actress of the moment, from Jessica Alba to Jessica Simpson to Lindsay Lohan. As of right now, there is nothing set.
• Dallas – supposedly in development for 2009 with Betty Thomas (Howard Stern’s Private Parts, I Spy) as the director attached. Looking at this and Jeannie back-to-back gives me an idea, could make for a wicked Hagman twofer — they should get the same person to play J.R. Ewing and Tony Nelson.
• MacGyver – rumored, but sadly, nothing formalized yet.

With the exception of I Dream of Jeannie, all of those do have potential. Not that I’m betting on any of them (save Arrested Development, which I’d give a kidney to see), but it’s possible that most could be at least watchable/fun popcornish fodder.

But there’s a number of better titles they’ve missed. Much like Iron Man and Robert Downey Jr. became a big hit by breaking the traditional formula, Hollywood must challenge itself to look beyond the tried (or tired) approach it has relied on for so many years. It’s the new math — you just have to take the leap and you WILL be rewarded.

Can’t Miss: The Potential Runaway Hits

For example, here’s a few would-be blockbusters that someone needs to option and fast-track development on, stat. They may not be cheap, but the returns will be huge and virtually 100% guaranteed:

• Fresh Prince of Bel Air: The Movie (“FPBA: 2010″)

  

  First off, Will Smith movies are as can’t miss as they come. Second, who wouldn’t want to see what happened to the Fresh Prince years later?

  And best of all, you could do as a cross between Entourage/Curb Your Enthusiasm and True Lies. Have the movie just follow Will Smith around — by day, he’s the biggest movie star in the world, trying to dodge yet another call from Jazzy Jeff; by night, he’s a spy tasked with saving the world. And only Geoffrey the butler knows his secret.

  If a movie like Hitch that only cost $70 mil can gross $368 million worldwide, this thing would be a cash printing press.

  (Not to mention Alfonso Ribiero and Jazzy Jeff are going to be A LOT cheaper than Kevin James and Eva Mendes.)
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• Baywatch (“Baywatch Redux”)

  

  This one has been discussed forever. But at this point, the number of people who really want to see Pam and the Hoff don the red suit is diminishing rapidly with every passing day. And even when they were still in their hayday, the project never could quite find the edge it needed to get off the ground.

  The solution? Bring in some new, young B-listers and quasi-pornstars, move it to somewhere way more “now” than LA (maybe Atlantis or a resort in Dubai), and give it the J.J. Abrams treatment. Tell the story of this new team of lifeguards through a series of dramatic in-story flashbacks, while in the present they race to save a beach from a terrorist attack. Add in a chase scene, some good explosions, could top $500m worldwide.
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• Married…with Children (“Still Married…”)

  

  How this doesn’t get discussed more is beyond me. The cast is intact and available, only one of them has gotten more expensive (and I don’t even think Christina Applegate would cost you THAT much), and the story wouldn’t even have to be that good to make a fortune.

  Don’t believe me? Try this out — print a poster with Ed O’Neill in classic Bundy mode, hand down his pants, and see how much people start buzzing. Somebody make this movie already, and just mail me a check when the profits start rolling in.
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• Cheers (“Sons of Sam Malone”)

  

  Just as with Married above, this is a no-brainer. With the exception of Woody, Kelsey Grammer and Ratzenberger (and his regular role in every Pixar movie), none of the original cast is working with any regularity. And it’s not like heading back to the set of a bar to sit around for a couple months of filming would be grueling enough to turn down the inevitable million-dollar paycheck.

  You center it all around Sam Malone‘s attempt to get a Red Sox championship ring (complete with a Big Papi cameo), bring in new young cast members (paging Seth Rogen and Scarlett Johansson), and you’re well on your way to $300 mil+ domestic.
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• 227 (“Tyler Perry’s 227″)

  

  Yeah, I know — adding Tyler Perry’s name to the front of anything is taking the easy route. So why mess with what works? You just bring back Marla Gibbs and Regina King, have TP in a male lead role, and of course, make sure Jackee is in there somewhere. Toss in a couple young actors. Release it in September. Guaranteed #1 at the box office two weeks straight.
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• Facts of Life (“Facts of Life: Steppin’ Out”)

  

  Whatever happened to those crazy girls that all lived together in that house and attended Eastland together? What secrets lurk in Mrs. Garrett’s torrid past? Did Tootie ever go back to wearing roller skates all the time? How did things go for Blair after she bought Eastland Academy? Finally, a Facts of Life movie could give us answers to those hard questions and show us how fun these girls are today.

  Or they could go the safer route, update it as a story about four young, attractive young actresses (maybe toss in one of the girls from The Hills) living together with a cougar for their headmistress. Toss in a Clooney cameo, reprising his original character of George Burnett, and could be the next great date movie.
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The Lunatic Fringe: Longshots Worth Betting On

Ok, so we’ve covered the obvious, safe choices. Then there’s the more vanguard directions. These are not your run-of-the-mill guaranteed hits, but they’ll probably cost a fraction of what any of the above would, and could become immediate cult classics if approached properly:

• Doogie Howser, MD (“Dr. Howser”)

  

  You could play it safe and do this one without taking any risks and put it in the list above.

  But I propose a more adventurous tack. 15 years later, Doogie Howser is not doing well. Racing through school, never getting to enjoy life as a kid, that one night with Vinnie and Wanda where things got weird — not to mention a couple mistakes that cost patients lives — have all weighed heavily on adult Doogie, and he’s picked up a pretty vicious OxyContin habit in his attempts to dull the pain of regret.

  Dr. Howser tells the story of Doogie’s life, how things fell apart, and the uphill road to redemption.
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• You Can’t Do That On Television (“YCDTOT: The Movie”)

  

  One of the underrated classics of my generation. Now give it an art house touch by bringing in the likes of David Lynch, Jim Jarmusch, Werner Herzog, Darren Aronofsky, Spike Jonze, etc. to each direct segments based off content from the original Nickelodeon classic.
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• Small Wonder (“Something Wonderful”)

  

  Who doesn’t want to see more of Tiffany Brissette as Vicki, or better yet, her brother Jamie, played more than deftly by Jerry Supiran? Where are those characters today? (Vicki is working as a checker at a Whole Foods and Jamie is a personal trainer in Studio City.)

  But here’s another way you could go — tell the story of Small Wonder, the show. When it comes down to low-budget TV from the 1980′s, this was pretty much the Ed Wood of the medium. And stranger yet — none of the actors from the show have worked since. We should find out why. (For the record, I suspect it may have something to do with that uppity Maureen Flannigan from Out of This World)
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• Saved by the Bell + Dawson’s Creek (“Bayside vs. Capeside”)

  

  Dawson, Pacey and the gang are on their way to their high school reunion. But the room is double-booked with Zack Morris and his friends’ wake for Mr. Belding.

  The ensuing battle will determine the fate of humanity.

  I’m so…scared.

Others Shows Meriting Consideration

• Herman’s Head
• B.J. and the Bear
• America’s Next Top Model
• America’s Funniest Home Videos
• Manimal
• M.A.N.T.I.S.
• Super Computer
• Misfits of Science
• My Two Dads
• Perfect Strangers

Got more ideas? Share them in the comment section below.

Tagged as: Hollywood, movies, tv