Making a TV show out of Say Anything, one of the most beloved rom-coms in the history of film? Bold. Doing it without getting the blessing of original writer/director Cameron Crowe, or even telling him about it first? Extra crispy bold. Good luck with this one, NBC.
[UPDATE: BuzzFeed reports that a rep for NBC has confirmed that 20th Century Fox will not be moving forward with this project. I’m guessing Crowe and Cusack had something to do with it. So that’s the end of that.]
A rep for NBC has confirmed to BuzzFeed News that 20th Century Fox is not going forward with the project.
First off, to get your screaming out of the way: Yes, 20th Century Fox’s TV division, 20th TV, is developing a show based on Say Anything, the classic 1989 movie in which Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) tries to woo a girl from the other side of the tracks with his John Cusack-ness and his boomboxery. It was announced yesterday that NBC picked it up. The show’s technically going to be a sequel, but when you’re breathing new life into a story with new actors after 15 years 25 years (Jesus Christ), it’s basically a reboot as well. Thus, I like Pajiba‘s term: “reborquel.” Let’s steal it.
Via Deadline, here’s what this reborquel will be about:
Set in present day, the Say Anything series picks up ten years later. Lloyd has long since been dumped by Diane and life hasn’t exactly turned out like he thought. But when Diane surprisingly returns home, Lloyd is inspired to “dare to be great” once again, get Diane back and reboot his life.
I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.
As for the “new actors” thing—there’s nothing to say NBC couldn’t get the original Diane, Ione Skye, on board. Unless she runs screaming from the project. Like, say, John Cusack did:
Hell no !! “@readdreamwrite: .@johncusack Are you or @CameronCrowe involved with this series? http://t.co/CAIfVIR9L3”
— John Cusack (@johncusack) October 7, 2014
No end to the exploitation of other people’s sincere efforts in shameless slime “@auntyK007: @CameronCrowe No imagination for new ideas” — John Cusack (@johncusack) October 7, 2014
Cameron Crowe, who wrote and directed Say Anything, is also not the reborquel’s biggest fan:
Regarding the announcement of a “Say Anything” tv show… @JohnCusack, @IoneSkye1 and I have no involvement… except in trying to stop it.
— Cameron Crowe (@CameronCrowe) October 7, 2014
There’s nothing to say 20th TV had to get Crowe’s permission, or even tell him about the project—which, according to Deadline, they didn’t—but finding out via the Internet that a very personal film is being handed over to other people… that’s rough. And kind of a dick move, 20th TV and NBC. And dumb, from a PR perspective. Say Anything is a beloved movie, and Cameron Crowe is a beloved director. A beloved director with 135,000 Twitter followers. And Cusack, aka The Dragon You Have Woken, has 1.47 million. Just try to play nice, or most of your press will be stuff like this.
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