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Tuesday
07Jul2009

'Baywatch' Movie To Be (Intentional) Comedy

DateTuesday, July 7, 2009 at 11:32AM
Did anyone ever check those numbers back in the 1990s about Baywatch being the world's most watched show? It always seemed fishy to me, but the Guinness Book says 1.1 billion viewers tuned in during the show's 11 season run. If that's true, then a movie based on the show ought to do dynamite business, don't you think?

We'll find out soon enough, as Paramount has hired Jeremy Garelick to write and direct a feature-length comedy inspired by the syndicated Hasselhoff/Anderson show. You read that right: It's going to be a comedy. Garelick helped Todd Phillips overhaul The Hangover, and in fact, when I talked to Ed Helms, his name came up more than a few times with regard to the screenplay.

The history of the film property is more interesting than the source material. It was secured by DreamWorks back in 2005, changing hands for an undisclosed seven-figure amount. At the time, it was going to be more in line with the show, emphasizing action and presumably avoiding skin.

Paramount's new honcho, Adam Goodman, was developing the script when he was at DreamWorks, and this new activity sure does feel like the guy with the reserved parking space putting his stamp on the direction the studio will go, and he apparently loves what Garelick changed in the original script. Unsolicited, he turned the first act into a comedy and pitched his new idea based on those page.

"It felt like the template to do a movie that was similar to Stripes and Police Academy, the comedies I loved growing up," Garelick told Variety. "Rather than trying to pitch the tone, I figured it would be easier to write the first act to convey who these characters were."

Should Howard Stern cause a stink about this? Isn't Baywatch as a comedy essentially just Son of the Beach? Depends on the comedy, I suppose, but I wouldn't be surprised if Stern makes a little noise about it, particularly considering he left CBS/Viacom/Paramount on bad terms.

AuthorColin Boyd | | in | Print ArticlePrint Article | | Comment1 Comment |

Reader Comments (1)

Ahhhhh yes... NO

I do recall the hype about it being so "watched" but I think it really comes down to how you define watching. I admit to having seen it during its first run on NBC when they actually attempted something like a storyline. After that I lost touch with it but I did catch it on whatever network it landed on some years later, zero storyline in sight but loads of gratuitous bouncing bosoms and outdoor shower scenes than I ever remembered from NBC.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterAsana

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