A few days ago I wrote a post about movies being rehashed into TV shows, and I got this question....
Nate Winchester asked - What about you, D? Any movies you can pick out/think of which would actually work great as a TV series?
That got me thinking, and that's actually pretty dangerous, so I'm going to post what I think is a good movie-to-TV adaptation premise and I want you, my readers, to post yours in the comments. That way I can steal your ideas to Hollywood for millions! BWAH-HAH-HAH-HAH!!!
Here's my idea...
THE MOVIE:
FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF
I know what you're thinking it was tried in 1990 & it stank, but I'm talking about an entirely different concept.
THE TV SHOW:
THE TRIALS OF FERRIS BUELLER
Instead of trying to make another bad show about Ferris Bueller's high school days, draw some inspiration from the roots of the original story. The character of Bueller was based on a high school friend of John Hughes' who could talk and charm his way out of any situation and drove the authority figures around him nuts. That guy went on to become a successful lawyer representing big name businessmen and politicians.
That's where we start: Matthew Broderick returns as Ferris Bueller, middle aged, a rich and successful Washington D.C. attorney, and bored out of his skull because his work isn't challenging anymore. This ennui, expressed by his wry commentaries to the audience, is broken in the pilot episode when he takes on the case of an unpopular billionaire charged with dozens of counts of fraud. The case seems impossible, but he not only wins, proving his client's innocence, he charms the jury so much, they spent their deliberations writing an apology to his client.
Re-energized, Bueller accepts a challenge by his wealthy client to take on more impossible cases. Each week it's a new client, from big money litigants to no-money defendants, and Bueller has to use his brains and charm to win as the challenge becomes a personal crusade.
A running sub-plot in the series involves his friend Cameron Frye (Alan Ruck), now a freshman congressman from Illinois, and married to Bueller's sister Jeanie (Jennifer Grey), and how Bueller "helps" him navigate the fever swamps of Capitol Hill. There's even a reunion with his old high school flame Sloane (Mia Sara) who works on a big internet news site.
Surround this cast with a roll call of good supporting players/characters as fellow lawyers, clients, politicians, reporters, and sundry townsfolk, and you could have a funnier version of CBS's award winning hit show The Good Wife.
It's not rocket science it's TV. The first attempt failed because all they wanted was the title, when they should have figured out how to take the story to the next chapter.
Now, put your own movie-to-TV-series ideas in the comments.
Surround this cast with a roll call of good supporting players/characters as fellow lawyers, clients, politicians, reporters, and sundry townsfolk, and you could have a funnier version of CBS's award winning hit show The Good Wife.
It's not rocket science it's TV. The first attempt failed because all they wanted was the title, when they should have figured out how to take the story to the next chapter.
Now, put your own movie-to-TV-series ideas in the comments.
If they had to make one Dimension franchise into a TV show, Spy Kids would have been a better choice than Scream. It can focus on a new family of spies or the original. Just make everything animated (preferably mostly 2D), get Robert Rodriguez as a consultant, and you're good to go. Ignoring the last three movies, actually trying to appeal to adults, and gimmicks like smell-o-vision are all optional. Heck, try Scary Show if Movie 5 underperforms. Make Bob Iger sorry! Unless his networks want to air for you.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Bob Iger, I got some more ideas. Instead of rushing out another overly expensive movie, Disney should have made two TV shows to keep the Muppets in the public eye. The first would be another attempt to update The Muppet Show, but this time for cable television. The show would still have skits, backstage plots, and guest stars, but involves Kermit and the gang trying to put on their own version of a late-night talk show. Bring in a decent mix of old and new, retain most of the tone of the last movie, and you have yourself a primetime hit with families and stoners.
ReplyDeleteThe second show would be a reboot of Muppet Babies for the preschooler network Disney Junior. Since Disney Junior seems aimed at a more general audiences than Nick Jr., the tone would be a little more Friendship is Magic than The Backyardigans. They'll still have the live-action archive footage gimmick, but only with clips owned by Disney. The archive footage wouldn't be limited to live-action, of course.
And while Jerry Nelson is retired from puppeteering, he could provide voices for both shows.
That's all I got for now. I'd be totally flattered if anyone stole my ideas. I hope yours gets stolen too. ;)
"American Gangster" would make a great TV series. The movie only scratched the surface of the story. You've got two charismatic leads on opposite sides of the law and a big cast of supporting characters. Popular genre, truth is stranger than fiction, social critique- there's a lot to develop. The movie was a hit, but there's no rabid fan base to alienate.
ReplyDelete