Last week, it was announced that the 1987 Johnny Depp career-starter “21 Jump Street” is going to be made into a movie featuring none other than “Superbad’s” Jonah Hill.
Though only time can tell if the remake will make Captain Jack Sparrow proud, in the words of another famous TV icon, Carrie Bradshaw, “I couldn’t help but wonder.”
In 20, 30 or 40 years, what series of our generation will be the tent poles of the future?”
Looking both to films of the past (“Charlie’s Angels,” “Mission Impossible”) and this present summer’s slate of movies (“Speed Racer,” “Get Smart”), one theme in particular is evident: One of the most popular trends in the last decade of cinema is the recycling of old TV shows into sleeker, cooler, sexier and just plain bigger summer blockbusters.
The films are meant to motivate older viewers through nostalgia and to introduce the story line and characters to a new generation so as to make it appear as if Hollywood is still thinking up new ideas.
However, in our world of cable, pay-per-view TV and the Internet, there are many, many options to choose from.
Though I would love to see some of my other childhood guilty pleasures come back from the dead, such as “Saved by the Bell” or “Dawson’s Creek” (precollege, of course), it seems most of the successful TV adaptations in recent years, such as “Charlie’s Angels” or “Mission Impossible,” have an action element to them. This maybe makes it less noticeable to tried-and-true fans from the television years how many big changes have been made in transition from cable box to box office.
As a huge J.J. Abrams fan, I would love to see a big-screen reincarnation of the spy drama “Alias” (preferably taking place before the show jumped three years into the future and officially began its downhill spiral). Maybe the show’s star Jennifer Garner could even make a cameo as a retired CIA agent or as Sydney’s backstabbing, underhanded mother Irina Derevko.
The show’s “undercover aspect” ““ international locations, glamorous costumes and colored wigs ““ would be perfect for the big screen (or whatever new technology better than IMAX pops up in the near future).
For a show that never got the time slot or publicity it deserved, a film version for a new audience to discover the double life of double-agent Sydney Bristow would be perfect.
In the same vein as “Speed Racer,” I feel the perfect underground cultural phenomenon that could use not only a movie makeover but an entire switch from goofy animation to real-life actors is “Sailor Moon.” If the right visionary director came along to spice things up and take the fantasy elements of the cartoon to the next level, there could really be something.
The lead would also have to be a funny, sassy and up-and-coming actress who was humorous enough to appeal to the younger crowd but make every joke with a wink or mature undertone so older fans could still sensibly root for a heroine with long blond pigtails without feeling guilty.
“Sailor Moon” is the campy summer smash of the future ““ just think less “Scooby Doo” and more “Ghost World.”
Another show that has summer blockbuster written all over it is “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Though the 1997 Sarah Michelle Gellar series was actually taken from a 1992 Luke Perry film of the same name, this cult hit series that even spawned a semi-successful spin-off (“Joey,” I’m talking to you!) already has the perfect mix of humor and butt-kicking to translate in later years to old fans and fresh viewers alike. Maybe Sarah Michelle could be the new watcher? You never know.
Though I would love to say I foresee the return of original, thought-provoking ideas for summer blockbusters in the near future, I would place my money elsewhere. It’s a safe bet that film studios will be remaking TV shows for the big screen for many years to come, granted they continue their current streak of moderate success.
Hopefully the studios will at least keep these ideas on the back burner or have a good chuckle at the “Joey” reference.
If you think Sark and Sydney should hook up in the Alias movie, e-mail Stanhope at kstanhope@media.ucla.edu.