April 17, 2005
Kevin Smith rejected for Six Million Dollar Man
It's interesting that there's been nothing of this movie for sometime, and even checking the IMDB listing for The Six Million Dollar Man shows that the last update was September 2004 and nothing since, in fact the status is marked as unknown.
Part of me thinks this is a shame as being brought up on Steve Austin and Jamie Summers (the name of my first dog) and it would be great to see a modern take, but the other part of me is glad as Jim Carrey was down to play Austin. How would that work? How does Carrey compare to Lee Majors? He's tall, thin and would blow over in a breeze. Tod Phillips is also up to write, he of Starsky & Hutch, Road Trip and Old School fame.
So it's interesting to read that Kevin Smith took a shot at the script in 1996 and failed, and for the wrong reasons it appears. According to Smith himself from Contact Music:
He recalls of the 1996 meeting, "I turned in the script and this executive went 'What (the hell) is this? It reads like a comic book! I didn't approve this!'"I always took that as a real compliment. I said, 'You think it really reads like a comic book? Because that's what I was going for.'
"Back then it was a pejorative."
It suggests that he is smugly looking back on that moment now that there are comic book movies galore. Could the studio be? I think at release time they might as it certainly does sound like they're pitching this as a comedy. Nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh...
Posted by Richard Brunton at April 17, 2005 04:08 PM
Comments
Posted by: Nala at April 17, 2005 04:22 PM
That made me think Nala. Who could play Steve Austin if they were playing it (semi) straight? Anyone is better than Jim Carrey, right?
Posted by: Richard Brunton at April 17, 2005 04:38 PM
Oh crumbs. Another tv hit show that everybody else wants to ruin, what for?
Was there any news on the Bionic Woman?
Posted by: Simone at April 17, 2005 07:57 PM
Maybe when the executive said Smith's script read "like a comic book", he meant: "it sucks" (the thinking from the exec being "comic book writing" = "sucky writing").
Posted by: Franklin at April 17, 2005 10:59 PM
I'd be up for the role.
Posted by: Sean Penn at April 17, 2005 11:41 PM
Franklin, sure that's probably what they thought at the time, they've obviously changed their tune with all these comic book remakes underway. That's the whole point that suddenly comic book writing is the next best thing, when done properly that is.
What you could have meant is that he did it badly. However the Studios just wouldn't accept it back then I think, good or bad.
Posted by: Richard Brunton at April 18, 2005 07:35 AM
Here is the problem....just like when Starsky and Hutch came out....you think that they are going to do it right and make a true re make of the best about the TV show....but all they do is use the NAME,A Few key elements and bame.....SHIT! But I'll tell you this:
Dukes will SUCK and I bet Miami Vice will be the best re make yet. What to know why?
You know why!!!!!!!!
Posted by: jason at April 18, 2005 06:25 PM
When Carrey was conected to the project it was suppose to be a comedy.
A six million dollar man in 2005 would not exactly be state of the art technology
Posted by: Herby at April 18, 2005 10:36 PM
I was a big fan of the show so I say do not make this into a comedy!! With the quality of special effects it could really be cool. It does not need to be less serious or too serious just keep it the way it was and the movie would be great. Just update the look and leave out Big foot. Treat bionics as a real struggle for the character.
Posted by: Andy at April 28, 2005 02:02 AM
I'd go see this. Of course I think they probably need to cast a relative unknown in the role. And might as well throw Jamie Summers into the thing as well since the odds of a sequel are slim on this property.
But ya got me thinking. Where the hell are my Six Million Dollar Man toys? They have to be in a box somewhere!