Remake Watch 2009: "Heathers"

Variety reports from the Bad Idea department at 20th Century Fox (i.e. all of 20th Century Fox) that they're developing a series based on the 1989 comedy Heathers and someone who worked on "Sex and the City" is writing for it.

Of all the remakes I've reported on this year, this easily ranks among the top 3 worst, just because the ideas and plot of Heathers absolutely do not lend themselves to weekly adventures. In fact, to have them do anything other than what happens in the movie would reduce them all to their most superficial elements. On one hand, Heathers is a movie that goes to dark, dark extremes in search of bleak comedy, and on the other hand, it's a show about a bunch of manipulative girls in a clique and the one outsider they've let in. Which of these angles do you think 20th Century Fox and a writer from "Sex and the City" are going to feel lends itself to an ongoing series?

Remake Watch 2009:
26 film remakes announced
4 film remakes released
2 tv remakes released
1 reboot announced
2 reboots released
1 remakes announced/released direct-to-DVD
3 TV remakes announced

A "reboot" is defined by Remake Watch as a new attempt at a film series with new actors playing old characters (thus, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Race to Witch Mountain are excluded). Sequels to remakes (The Pink Panther 2, Halloween 2) are ignored.

Remake Watch 2009: "Skins"

ComingSoon reports via MTV that the network is developing a remake of the BBC show "Skins" for American television, with the original's co-creator Bryan Elsley tagging along for the ride.

The most interesting thing I learned from the article was that the original was written entirely by teens. When I reviewed the first two seasons, I only picked up on one of the episodes being written by a teenager, because the teenager was also an actor (Daniel Kaluuya). Elsley claims that he'll be making sure the same thing happens on the American version, but don't be offended if you catch me not holding my breath.

One of the comments on ComingSoon says that the sex and drugs are the best part and hopes that they're kept in. I don't know how true this is on the surface, but I agree in the sense that I don't need these to be clean-cut kids and for everything to be extensive and pat in its moralizing of the subjects. There is plenty of sex and drugs in "Skins" Series 1 and 2. Sometimes it has consequences, sometimes it doesn't. It's just there, and I hope the American version remains the same in that regard. The series was also bittersweet, which was one of the things I liked best about it, and I again wonder if MTV will be able to let it stand.

Remake Watch 2009:
26 film remakes announced
4 film remakes released
2 tv remakes released
1 reboot announced
2 reboots released
1 remakes announced/released direct-to-DVD
2 TV remakes announced

A "reboot" is defined by Remake Watch as a new attempt at a film series with new actors playing old characters (thus, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Race to Witch Mountain are excluded). Sequels to remakes (The Pink Panther 2, Halloween 2) are ignored.

Sweet Cherry Pie

IMDb posted a news article (wait, they have actual news on IMDb? I thought it was just idiotic celebrity gossip and poorly-transcribed EW stories!) about star Kyle MacLachlan potentially making some "Twin Peaks" webisodes. Sadly, David Lynch is too busy being completely bats--- crazy to be involved.

Whether the eps are good or bad, I suppose that means it's time for me to go buy The Gold Box.

Via Stuff We Like.

"I meant ASS whiplash."

Good news, everyone! "Futurama" really, totally, absolutely, no-kidding, for-real, 100% returns for 26 belligerent and numerous episodes on Comedy Central in 2010! That's not one, but two more shiny metal seasons of 13 episodes apiece. Click here for the press release, meatbag!

As Bender would say, "Bender Bender Bender Bender Bender!"

Where the Hell is the Jetsons Movie?

A couple of years ago, famed director Robert Rodriguez made it known to the public that he was considering working on a couple of movies based on famous television shows. One was Land of the Lost, which was just released last week (and not directed by Rodriguez) while the other was The Jetsons, which Rodriguez was leaning more towards due to the script being further along. This, of course, proves that nothing is at it seems in Hollywood since The Jetsons was originally scheduled for a January 2009 release and has since been pushed back to 2012, and has no one attached to it except for a few malnourished writers and some producers who by now surely have a healthy respect for mind-altering substances. Land of the Lost, the movie that was further behind in production, is out and raking in money (more money than the non-existent Jetsons film, anyway, and despite how the critics may feel about that), but The Jetsons is about two hairs shy of being shelved. This leads me to a very important question:

Why?

There is no need whatsoever for this to take so long. With The Flintstones, the crew had to go to great lengths to bring Bedrock to life in such a way that made it look as if you were indeed watching the adventures of a modern Stone Age family set millions of years ago. But this is the freakin' Jetsons, for crying out loud! They're set in the not-to-distant future of 2062 and use flying cars, robots, and conveyor belts. How is this so hard to put together?! Most of the technology used in the show is either already here or not too far off, so surely the budget can't be that big of a deal. God knows Hollywood has enough cash to throw at Eddie Murphy, surely they could spare some for a movie that might be worth watching. It can't be a matter of casting, there's probably hundreds of actors out there who would be thrilled to try to be George Jetson or even just the voice of Astro, and I'm sure Hanna-Barbera would jump at the chance to make some more money, so what's the deal? Where is the progression of this film coming to a standstill? I've searched for answers but returned empty-handed and just a bit frustrated, because with Rodriguez at the helm The Jetsons could be a wholly entertaining movie with plenty of neat effects and a feel to it that's retro-futuristic, which is exactly how it should be. I want to see that movie, so where is it?

If this is Cogswell's fault, I'm going to bust a sprocket...

"SHUT UP AND GET TO THE POINT!"

Comedy Central maybe orders 13 new episodes of "Futurama".

Via CHUD.