I don't want to get hopes up . . .

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Agatha · #31 Post by **Agatha** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 3:09 pm

And maybe Lily has some friends...hopefuls who are intereseted in her...and maybe Matthew McConaughey is one of them...and maybe Thomas and TC and Rick make use of their interest to help with the more physical stuff...while showing them what it takes to get the job done...and creating a bond between them at the same time. THEN a Magnum-type show would be reborn and could even go on from there with Lily and her "guys"...or maybe there's a gal or two in there as well...picking up the reins, so to speak...

Hmmm.

If I remember correctly Tom Selleck took his shirt off in an episode or two!!

N1095A · #32 Post by **N1095A** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 3:35 pm

Agatha wrote:What about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, N1095A?

If age is the issue, Harrison Ford is 3 years older than TS, and he looks it. TS doesn't look anywhere near his age. However, and this is a big however, TS with the exception of the "Three Men And A Baby franchise never was a huge box office draw even in his prime. TS is much more well received on television. I can see the point of producers not wanting to gamble by putting a television cast into a big screen film. It has been done quite successfully in the past. X-files, Stargate, Star Trek come to mind, but as much as we would all love to see it, I don't think we can expect it with MPI. (another) However, I don't see any reason why a small screen MPI with original cast tied in with a film couldn't work. Each could use could use the popularity of the other for promotion.

VM02 · #33 Post by **VM02** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:05 pm

I for one would be ok with a Matthew McConaughy movie.

I a hundred times prefer an all original cast movie or tv movie or whatever, but I don't think its gonna happen. Hollywood never "got" MPI when it was on and TS has not become the Movie draw that the popularity of the series might have suggested.
I feel like an updated movie might shed a postive light on the series and perhaps there would be some additional propaganda surrounding the release of the movie -books etc - in much the same way as the Lord of the Rings movies enhanced the sale of the books and books about the books.

I am dubious of setting the thing in modern day though. (NO Slight on Veterans of any era intended.) A gulf war vet scenario (higgins as vietnam vet) seems to me to completely lack the emotional punch of the three Vietnam buddies dealing with aftermath --who bring a WWII vet into their circle. My take on Resolutions is that the 8 years of MPI we saw are primarilly the story of TM recovering from or "finding himself" after his Vietnam experience. I also think this is why "Unfinished Business" provides closure to the series, and signifys the end of TMs 8 year ecovery. To make the story one about the Gulf War seems to me to miss a crucial theme of the series, if not THE crucial theme.

HiHo · #34 Post by **HiHo** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 7:34 pm

VM02 wrote:I for one would be ok with a Matthew McConaughy movie.

I a hundred times prefer an all original cast movie or tv movie or whatever, but I don't think its gonna happen. Hollywood never "got" MPI when it was on and TS has not become the Movie draw that the popularity of the series might have suggested.
I feel like an updated movie might shed a postive light on the series and perhaps there would be some additional propaganda surrounding the release of the movie -books etc - in much the same way as the Lord of the Rings movies enhanced the sale of the books and books about the books.

I am dubious of setting the thing in modern day though. (NO Slight on Veterans of any era intended.) A gulf war vet scenario (higgins as vietnam vet) seems to me to completely lack the emotional punch of the three Vietnam buddies dealing with aftermath --who bring a WWII vet into their circle. My take on Resolutions is that the 8 years of MPI we saw are primarilly the story of TM recovering from or "finding himself" after his Vietnam experience. I also think this is why "Unfinished Business" provides closure to the series, and signifys the end of TMs 8 year ecovery. To make the story one about the Gulf War seems to me to miss a crucial theme of the series, if not THE crucial theme.

Ah, that's my thing. Set it in the 80's! Retro is poplular and retaining the Vietnam aspect carries much more resonance...not to mention Higgin's experiences.

Just think about how great the scenes are where Magnum and Higgins discuss/compare war experiences...like in Black on White. Wouldn't be the same in a modern setting.

IKnowWhatYoureThinking · Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:10 pm

I think they would completely screw this up if they tried a modern setting for reasons mentioned previously.

Steve · #36 Post by **Steve** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:54 pm

My concern if they set a Movie in the eighties with a new cast is there is too much temptation for it to be a parody.You know. frizzy perms, padded shoulders and music sang by falsetto British lads......Not that there is any reason for those thing to be made fun of....LOL!

IKnowWhatYoureThinking · Sat Apr 25, 2009 3:05 am

I know what you mean Steve. I think it can be done the right way with a new cast, but I doubt very seriously that will happen. Who knows what avenue they are going to go down with this project?

VM02 · #38 Post by **VM02** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 3:46 am

Heres a thought I had about what might be interesting: If you have to have a new cast, set it in 1971 or 72 in Vietnam. That way you avoid having to cast Higgins, who IMO is the hardest to cast.

What did TM do between Vietnam and 1979 - he stayed in the Navy for a while right?

Agatha · #39 Post by **Agatha** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 5:09 am

I was thinking today about how a screenplay would have to be written for it to BE a Magnum reunion show without actually being a MAGNUM PI reunion show.

We'd start with Lily...thank you, Steve...who is a young doctor in an upscale retirement community...where Higgins lives. Higgins is in poor health or maybe suffering from a bit of demetia and we never actually see him...just hear people talking to him and him to them...at his door and on the phone.

Lily is single and has a group of friends...say, a gal and a couple of guys...young professionals like herself...that she does things with...no one is romantically involved...yet...but good friends...with some interest.

Some young "hot shot" with an axe to grind...maybe Major Tue's son...and/or daughter...???...maybe Colonal Ki's son...and/or daughter...???...maybe Dick Lyden's nephew...and/or niece...???...or Ivan's son and/or daughter and/or nephew and/or niece. I don't know. Somebody from Thomas's past...somebody who feels that Thomas wronged them...a generation ago. I don't know who...but someone that WE would all remember from the series.

But the bad guys don't know where Thomas is...so they find out where Higgins is and try to get to him. Lily figures out that Higgins is in trouble and calls Thomas...who calls TC and Rick and they all head for Hawaii to save Higgins...and also to be sure that Lily is OK because Thomas knows that the bad guys will realize that Lily is his daughter sooner or later. About the time they get to Hawaii, Bryant and Melody show up...TC's kids...so now we have two generations of people working to keep Higgins safe. Am I right that we'd be "jumping the shark" for Rick to have children...since he didn't in the series?

AND...this is what I was thinking about on the freeway today...instead of traffic!! NOBODY, ANYWHERE IN THE SCRIPT, EVER SAYS Thomas's name, TC's name or Rick's name. For example, when Lily introduces one of her friends...OK, it could be Matthew McConaughy...to her Dad, she says..."Matthew, this is my Dad." Matthew says..."Pleased to meet you Mr...uh" And Thomas steps on his line and says..."Pleased to meet you, Matthew. Lily talks about you all the time." And that happens throughout the show. Either Lily and Bryant and Melody are calling them Dad or the others aren't calling them anything!

The plot takes us all over Oahu...past the estate, the stables, the lighthouse...as many scenes from the series as can be worked in but not in a way that can be connected to the series...just landmarks and scenery. The only names from the series that have been mentioned are Lily and Bryant and Melody. So can anyone say that it's infringing on the rights to Magnum PI? And in the course of the movie...TV movie..."our" guys teach the young folks about getting the job done...and the young folks form a bond...and probably pair up...and become a new "team"...that could possibly carry on with Magnum-type quality cases in the future...in which Thomas, TC and Rick could appear from time to time.

And at the end...when the bad guys finally get hold of Higgins...and give him truth serum...and then our guys get there "just in the nickel dime" to save him...and afterwards...still groggy from the drugs...as Thomas and TC and Rick are leaving his room...we hear him say something like..."Ah, yes. I remember. It was back in '83. Or was it '84? Anyway, there was a young chap living in the guest house. I think his name was...Tom. Yes. He had a couple of friends. Hardly the kind of people one would expect to find on an English estate. Roger and Larry... The trouble those lads got into... And then we hear a crash...dishes hitting the floor...and Oh...My...God!

And Thomas would do his famous eyebrow thing and smile.

What do you think? I don't know ANYTHING about "rights" or how they work. Would a scenario like this get around them?

OK. Enough dreaming. Back to reality. Everybody here is hungry...

G'nite!!

Steve · #40 Post by **Steve** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 2:21 pm

Well thought out, Agatha.......I don't know if one should send ideas like this to Imagine Entertainment that has the rights, or (Uuugh) Rawson Marshall Thurber that is listed as the writer AND Director. I have a friend that is an accountant and is as passionate about "Have Gun Will Travel". He is so passionate (and probably bored being an accountant) that he is on his third rendition of a script for an updated version of the show. He has never written a script before, just simply bought a book on the format and has at it in his spare time. Hey, it may go nowhere and only be a dream, but you know what they say about dreams...They sometimes make life tolerable.......

Agatha · #41 Post by **Agatha** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 3:27 pm

Thanks, Steve! I did spend a few minutes wondering if there was a book about how to write a screenplay...

But, really...I'd rather have someone else write it so that I wouldn't already know what's going to happen when I see the movie!!

I admire your friend. In fact, I can see how all the discussions we have about Magnum could apply to Have Gun Will Travel...or any other series that someone was passionate about. In his particular case, I'd dive right in with "who in the world would he get to play Paladin?" Because Richard Boone WAS Paladin for me.

Hmmm. Am I seeing a pattern? I wonder if I'm just a bit "literal" for my own good. Anyway, it's nice to know that your accountant friend is not really "one of God's frozen people".

Back to reality...again. Everbody here is hungry...again!!

Agatha · #42 Post by **Agatha** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 3:33 pm

By the by...

Did any of those interviews in conjunction with the TV Land award give us any more information or hope about a movie?

Seaver41 · #43 Post by **Seaver41** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 7:31 pm

unfortunately........the only way we will see Selleck and crew in a big screen version of Magnum would be cameo roles other than their original characters....ala the Brady Bunch movie amongst others.

The sad part is the movie makers will go for the money grab by casting a bankable star like McConaughy and selling the extra tickets under the recognized franchise of Magnum P.I............just like they did with Miami Vice.......but that was a major mistake..........just as Selleck is Magnum........Don Johnson is Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas is Tubbs.

I know on the TVLand site there is the video of the Magnum guys accepting their award under the 'hero' category..........but keep in mind they invent categories each year just to suit their decision to celebrate a show................but still.......it's way cool to see Magnum recognized.

#44 Post by **ConchRepublican** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 9:40 pm

Great idea Agatha, reads well!

I wonder how they got around the James Bond thing with Sean Connery in Never Say Never Again? That isn't considered an "official" Bond movie.

VM02 · #45 Post by **VM02** » Fri May 01, 2009 1:03 pm

If I remember right, there was a legal loophole having to do with the screen play for Thunderball, that allowed them to make "Never Say Never Again"