Thurber to Write & Direct Magnum P.I.

[RedIsNotBlue]

Manip!

 

[Jochimus]

So...I'm guessing it must be a prerequisite now for movies based on old TV shows to be comedies, regardless of whether or not they were originally?

Sweet Primus. Y'know, Knight Rider wouldn't be a totally bad movie either if you could figure out how to do it and not make the talking car come off as cartoonish. I always thought they oughta do it like some kind of supernatural-type 'vengeance' thriller where you don't know if Michael Knight is alive or still dead, and you're not sure whether the car is computerized or possessed.

It wouldn't rack the brain THAT much to write a movie that's true to the original concept without degrading it in the process. That more than anything else is what I find insulting about these movies, more so than the nostalgia-raping.

 

[OtepApe]

I was a big fan of the show back in the day, so I am not sure what to make of this. I hope it comes off as a great movie. An absolute must for a Magnum movie is the theme tune, the car and the 'tasche. They've got to have the 'tashce.

 

[Backdrifter]

Can you believe Selleck was almost Indiana Jones?

 

[DBM]

I hope that don't make this a comedy. Comedic elements were fine, but to make it practically a spoof would be a huge mistake.

Magnum PI is one of the best television shows ever made in my opinion. I think it deserves to be taken seriously in movie form. Yes there's some inherent cheesiness to it when viewed now, but overall the show still holds up today. I find that the people who make fun of this show are typically the ones who've never really watched it.

I would be greatly saddened if one of my favorite shows was just made into a mockery on the big screen.

 

[ROBOCOP CPU001]

only one guy for this..

george clooney.

 

[SoulManX]

only one guy for this..

george clooney.

He was going to do it....as with the Fall Guy.

 

[Cap1970]

I almost hope they don't make this movie. Why ruin a good thing?

 

[Dark Donnie]

I hope they go the comedy route, the show sure made me laugh! I never could take the show serious, mainly because of Selleck and that stash!

 

[ToddIsDead]

Why do they remake all of these Tv shows if they can't even take them seriously? Atleast Miami Vice looks good.

 

[Hunter Rider]

http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/755/755959p1.html

McConaughey as Magnum?
An interesting casting possibility.
by Paul Davidson


January 17, 2007 - Blonde-haired Matthew McConaughey with a moustache, fit out with shorts and a Hawaiian tee, driving a Ferrari down a palm tree-lined avenue. Is that a close enough approximation of Magnum P.I. for you?

It might have to do. It's been a while since we heard what was happening with the feature film remake of Magnum P.I., but according to the UK's Teletext, writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber (Dodgeball) has finished his latest draft for the film and named McConaughey as his choice to play the suave Hawaiian detective. The same report pegs Steve Zahn (Sahara) as Rick, Tyrese Gibson (2 Fast 2 Furious) as TC the chopper pilot, and William H. Macy as Higgins (ER), British war veteran and caretaker of the estate where Magnum lodges.

Actually, Macy as Higgins sounds pretty cool, provided he can act British. And as for McConaughey, well, he might do if he can shake that Southern accent and assume a slightly more serious demeanor.

So is this for real? Hard to say until the studio makes an official statement. It's interesting to note, though, that three of the four key cast members — McConaughey, Zahn, and Macy — all appeared together in the Clive Cussler novel-based Sahara. Did Thurber see some kind of chemistry there he liked? Stay tuned for updates.

 

[SolidSnakeMGS]

Ha, you should have waited a week and it would have been a year since the last posting in this thread.

Fer chrissakes, just hire back the original cast. Selleck still looks pretty good.

But this shows they are merely interested in a comedy parody. Dammit, why didn't the terrorists do the whole world a favor and hit Hollywood.

 

[L0ngsh0t]

Well I do actually like Mathew Mconoaughy for some reason, he isn't in to many movies that I like, but I always seem to like him in them, a little charm goes along ways I guess

I'm sure this flick won't be awful, but it could be, and I garuntee it isn't awesome, but I won't complain if it is Starsky and Hutch, and just rides right down the middle and is okay

 

[Hunter Rider]

Ha, you should have waited a week and it would have been a year since the last posting in this thread.

Fer chrissakes, just hire back the original cast. Selleck still looks pretty good.

But this shows they are merely interested in a comedy parody. Dammit, why didn't the terrorists do the whole world a favor and hit Hollywood.

Selleck looked awful last time i saw him and i always thought Magnum was a comedy type show a lot of the time

 

[SolidSnakeMGS]

Selleck looked awful last time i saw him and i always thought Magnum was a comedy type show a lot of the time

Nah, he's older, definitely. But still could easily pull off the role. And Magnum wasn't a comedy as much as it was a rather light hearted drama with comedic elements.

 

[Moviefan2k4]

Why does Hollywood insist on taking excellent shows from earlier days, and remaking them as senseless crap full of sex, bad jokes, unnecessary bloodshed, and did I mention sex? So many films based on TV shows just plain suck, and I didn't even have to see them to know that. I've read countless reviews and seen many trailers for the recent adaptations of "Dukes of Hazzard", "Starsky & Hutch", "I Spy", and countless more. They all have the same sentiment: Hollywood has taken the best of the past, and trashed it to hell for massively-desensitized audiences both present and future. The same goes for the apparent popularity of slasher films and their sequels (don't even get me started on my rant about that subject).

Just once (if for no other reason than to prove they could actually do it), I'd love to see Hollywood take a single popular TV show from the 80's or late 70's, make a film out of it, and respect the source material enough to hold fast to the original concept. No blazing guns in the hands of idiots, no bikini-clad seductresses "interrogating" cops, no blood-soaked sensibility (although I'd never call stuff like that remotely sensible). The original shows worked because their formula was correct. They didn't need all the much-violent scenes or sexed-up lack of morals to be a triumphant hit, and neither do the films based on them. I say, "Keep it as it was, because it worked then, and it can do the same now." One shininng example is the long-proposed Knight Rider film. "The Hoff" has wanted to preserve the integrity of the series, and I'm really hoping Glen Larson's script stays true to what was done before. I don't want to see KITT blurting out tons of nonsense just so the studios can get a higher rating.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Nah, he's older, definitely. But still could easily pull off the role. And Magnum wasn't a comedy as much as it was a rather light hearted drama with comedic elements.

He looks like an old man,they'd have to do it Indy 4 style and reference his age strongly but i think the idea is to take it back to a time when the Magnum character was young and mobile enough to be cool and attract hot young women without looking like a letch

I could agree with that description of the show especially given some of the Nam influenced episodes

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

I've not seen the series before. Really, only seen probably one or two episode re-runs.......but I remember watching an interview with Tom Selleck where he said that if they do the film (with or without him) he only hopes that it's a serious take, and not a parody.

Something I think everyone who's a fan of the old tv shows being remade to films can atleast thank Miami Vice for is for not turning the material into a joke. I'm sure Miami Vice purisits had tons of issues with the movie.....but, something I think they can appreciate is that they didn't drag Crockett and Tubbs into one liner comedy hour characters. I keep thinking how bad it could have been if Ben Stiller or Owen Wilson had gotten they're hands on it, and I love those guys......but still.....c'mon.

So, I kinda hope the same thing here. Same for Knight Rider, too. Those are concepts that if done the right way, and modernized the right way.....can bring the franchises back to life for a new generation, which I think is what everyone wants.

 

[Road Warrior]

If this movie is a parody I will boycott it. It seems like I'm the only fan of the show on this thread. So, trust me, guys, there's potential to make an excellent movie. The show Magnum, P.I. was light-hearted at times, but it was also a very serious and powerful show. Magnum (Tom Selleck) was a Vietnam veteran and there was MANY episodes where his past affected him and played an important role in the episode. Especially the episode where it is revealed that his brother died at the war. That was my favorite episode. It ended with Magnum visiting the Vietnam memorial grave thing and reading his brothers name on the list of soldiers who were killed in battle. Also, Magnum's wife and daughter were murdered. And, there was an AMAZING episode where he tracked down the killer. It was really good stuff.

Spoiler

At the end of the series he discovered that his daughter was actually still alive.

Also, the show was action-packed at times.

So, there's potential here to make an EXCELLENT film. But, I guess the studio prefer to make a stupid parody. Their loss, man.

 

[Catman]

They better not f--k this up!

 

[Hunter Rider]

http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/817/817510p1.html

Magnum Uncaged?
Oscar winner reportedly up for TV-to-film project.


by Stax
US, September 4, 2007 - Oscar winner Nicolas Cage is rumored to be up for the title role in the long-gestating feature film adaptation of the 1980s TV series Magnum P.I., to be directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber.

Reports have circulated everywhere from Star Magazine and The Daily Express to MonstersAndCritics.com that Cage is considering playing Thomas Magnum, a role originated by Tom Selleck on TV, in the Universal movie.

According to The Daily Express, "Nicolas likes the mix of comedy and crime-solving in the script." The paper also claims that the project fell apart 18 months ago when Ricky Gervais rejected the notion of playing Higgins to George Clooney's Magnum.

The story goes that, should Cage sign on, casting will then commence for the role of Higgins, Magnum's Brit sidekick. The film would reportedly be due out in 2009.

Could this be yet another pre-strike movie being rushed into production? We'll see.

 

[terry78]

Oh lord. If anything he should be playing Higgins.

 

[Moviefan2k4]

Yeah, Nic barely made folks believe he could pass for 30 in "Ghost Rider"; how's he supposed to be 35 or so for "Magnum"?

 

[ToddIsDead]

Oh lord. If anything he should be playing Higgins.

I'd pay to see that.

 

[Catman]

Horrible choice!