DreamWorks SKG
The next movie to be turned into a TV show is one about actors from a TV show. Variety reports the 1999 sci-fi comedy Galaxy Quest, which is basically a rehash of the plot of ¡Three Amigos! combined with a spoof of Star Trek and its obsessive fandom, is in development but doesn’t yet have a network, cable channel or streaming service attached for distribution.
On the small screen, the premise of a cult sci-fi series cast being mistaken for actual heroes by aliens and tasked with an actual space mission will seem very meta. It’s unclear if the show will redo the plot from the movie or continue from where it left off, but with 16 years passed, I’m guessing they won’t simply trust that everyone is familiar with the original.
“They” would be most of the major creatives behind the movie, including co-writer Robert Gordon (later a writer on Men in Black II), director Dean Parisot (later helmer of Red 2) and executive producers Mark Johnson and Melissa Bernstein (later executive producers of TV’s Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul).
Now they just need to get the old cast together, too. Okay, maybe they’re all getting a bit old for something like this, and most are too big for the small screen. But Tim Allen is more suited for television, at least. As is Tony Shaloub. Parisot directed the pilot for his series Monk and so is likely still friendly with the actor.
Presumably this enterprise will finally kill all prospects for a sequel, which many fans have desired since the previous century and which Allen, Sigourney Weaver and Sam Rockwell have apparently shown interest in. Would they have interest in the TV version, at least enough to make cameos or guest-star appearances?
Whether you’re a fan or haven’t seen the movie and whether you’re excited about the series or not, you should listen to last fall’s episode of Junkfood Cinema where Brian and Cargill discuss Galaxy Quest.
