One time unsung Troma hero of the late ‘90s, James Gunn is quite easily one of the most regarded blockbuster filmmakers of the last five years. Owed almost entirely to the success of Marvel’s Guardians of The Galaxy Volumes 1 and 2 , the director has a few exciting upcoming projects on his varied docket, one of which is a reboot of the beloved ‘70s cop series, Starsky and Hutch.
Backed by Sony Pictures Television studios, the scriptless project is reported to enjoy a generous share of bidders, ranging from streaming services to major broadcasting networks. It is to be written by James, his brother Brian and his cousin Mark, with all three sharing an executive producer credit with Neal Moritz and Pavun Shetty.
The current pitch deems it to be a character-driven hourlong procedural, which sounds like a stark digression from the cheeky irreverent reboot starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson from 2004.
Putting James Gunn’s involvement aside for a moment, tone will go a long way in determining the extent of faith I have in the project. 2012’s 21 Jumpstreet rewrote the rulebook on the television-to-big-screen reboot, but as per usual, Hollywood seem to have gleaned the wrong lesson from its success. Phil Lode and Chris Miller’s send up approach worked because there was a certain implied irony ingrained into the television series the hit film was based on. The creators of the ‘80s staple knew exactly what kind of fatuous schlock they were making in a manner that didn’t manifest itself by way of winks and nods, but through perfunctory plot threads and laughably thin characters. This insinuated self-awareness was translated masterfully in the Jonah Hill helmed reboot in the form of a pastiche of reboot culture itself. It was a method both Chips and Baywatch tried to emulate to varying degrees of unsuccess. Starsky and Hutch exhibits a certain ironic indulgence no doubt but I’d be lying if i said those two films and films of its kind didn’t spoil my appetite for cinematic contempt. For all of its derisive humour, one of the things I enjoyed the most about Gunn’s Guardians of The Galaxy , and particularly its sequel, are the earnest sensibilities. It borders on “corny,” but that’s OK. I think entertainment could use a little more of that.
The idea of a “character-driven” cop drama set in the 1970s, produced in the 21st century by celebrated weirdo James Gunn, has us genuinely excited. We’ll be sure to report as more details about the project begin to unfold.
