Glen here...9:45am CST USA. I have received some indication that the BB pilot / proposed series mentioned below is in the works for Fox Broadcasting.
More soon!
Glen here…
Well…hell…
This is…potentially…one of the most tremendously cool bits of news I have ever had the privilege to report in my time here at Aint It Cool News.
I can not personally vouch for the veracity of the following information, but I will say that my source for this news seems to be rather comfortable with its accuracy. None the less, please leave a margin for error in the following news - until I have confirmed it. And be assured, my efforts to confirm this news will be vigorous and pointed - presuming this doesn’t become officially announced in rather short order.
A long time ago there was a movie called THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI: ACROSS THE EIGHT DIMENSION. It starred Peter Weller, Ellen Barkin, John Lithgow, Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Lloyd, Clancy Brown, and more. ‘Twas an eclectic and interesting cast in the twisted and bizarre tale of a rock star / neuro-surgeon / physicist / super hero who was saving the world from alien "Lectroids", whose landing decades ago prompted Welle’s 1938 "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast.
The film concluded with the written promise for a sequel - BUCKAROO BANZAI AGAINST THE WORLD CRIME LEAGUE. Despite a vocal and supportive fan base…and Fox’s *apparent* willingness to foot the bill for another Banzai adventure…the project became embroiled in a bitter legal conflict, and was never to happen.
If memory serves (and I might be wrong here), ABC television even expressed interest in developing a BUCKAROO BANZAI television series. Alas, the same legal battles annihilated such potential. In short, BANZAI was a franchise that was waiting to happen - but it was never allowed to come of age. Fans were left to enjoy a comic book (which I have), a hard-to-find but insightful novelization (which I have), some "Team Banzai" and "Yoyodyne" patches, T-shirts, and hats which were marketed at the time (which I have), and dream of an alternate reality in which BUCKAROO BANZAI actually had the *opportunity* to seize the potentials which had come its way. By the way, I am told Buckaroo’s Oscillation Overthruster made a cameo appearance in BABYLON 5, but I’ve never been clear on the details of this.
All along, fans have been asking themselves "have they forgotten?" or "Have they moved on?" NOW comes a preliminary (and sketchy) report indicating BANZAI creators W.D. "Rick" Richter and Earl MacRauch have inked a deal to write a pilot for a proposed series based on THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI. No other information is available at this time (thanks to IXIGIOUS 12 1/2 for this information).
If anyone at the network or studio has ANY knowledge of this, please tell me. If I need to plug this thing multiple times a week to help get it on the air, I will. If The Powers That Be are waffling and need a petition, we’ll do a petition.
If correct, this information would mean the fulfillment of a notion that is very close to my heart. I really want to see this happen. Partly because it helps me remember the kid I was back in 1984, partly because I think (for all of its rough edges) BB is an intriguingly goofy and endearing premise, and partly because I’ve always seen BANZAI as "unfinished business". Come what may, I’d like to see it run its course.
I’m now gonna go fondle my "Team Banzai" Japanese headband, and listen to Boddicker’s score while cleaning my living room.
More to come…
