Cool News
Dermot Mulroney To Play
ROCKFORD In New NBC Pilot!!
I am – Hercules!!
Dermot Mulroney, 46, has now been tapped to play iconic private investigator Jim Rockford in NBC’s new “Rockford Files” pilot.
Mulroney played Gavin on three 2003 episodes of “Friends” but has never been a TV series regular. His feature credits include “Young Guns,” “Career Opportunities,” “Point of No Return,” “The Thing Called Love,” “Silent Tongue,” “Bad Girls,” “There Goes My Baby,” “How to Make an American Quilt,” “Copycat,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “Goodbye Lover,” “Where the Money Is,” “About Schmidt,” “Zodiac” and “Burn After Reading.”
The new “Rockford” is being masterminded by David Shore, best known for creating Fox’s “House.”
Shore’s version of the character apparently retains his ex-con background but this new Rockford will also have a history as a cop, which as far as I remember was not the case with the 1970s Rockford.
Find all of The Hollywood Reporter’s story on the matter here.
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FROM THE CREATOR OF
THE ROCKFORD FILES:
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Readers Talkback
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Dirty Steve rules!!!
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i did not know that.
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Has already begin. who want's to take the over/under on 3 episodes?
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Really? Recast one of the most charismatic and unique characters to ever hit tv? Lightning struck when Garner and Rockford got together. It's not going to happen again.
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recurred as nutcase criminal mastermind Mel Profit during the latter half of Wiseguy's first season. Great episodes of a great series.
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He is in his 40s, and can play a little older if necessary. Has that slight low rent side that Rockford did - Rockford lived in a trailer. Has the necessary charisma and has that cowboy swagger that Garner had. He'd have been the right choice.
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Feb. 27, 2010, 6:23 p.m. CST
Tom Jane would have made a good Rockford...
by The_Floating_Skull_of_Robert_Loggia
Dermot Mulroney is pretty dour and doesn't exactly SCREAM fun like Garner did. Jane has a quirky, rough likability that is more in keeping with the character.
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is about as interesting as a four day old glass of water. James Garner would be rolling in his grave were he not still alive.
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Dermot Mulroney was so, so fantastic in that. There's something new to appreciate about his performance upon each viewing. Anybody capable of what he did in that movie deserves your respect.
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that's a perfect choice...Holloway has just the right blend of swagger, toughness and sensitivty necessary for the character. And he's as close as today's Hollywood is ever gonna get to the great James Garner. Also wouldn't hurt to bring along his LOST fan following either...what the hell were they thinking?
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Because if it's the guy from BOSTON LEGAL, I can almost see it.
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This does not work for me. No one on the planet is going to please everyone as the "new" Jim Rockford, but this choice is on the low end of pleasing *anyone*.
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That's right, you heard me. I always thought he had a bit of James Garner to him (I think it's the swagger and the shape of his head), more than Mulroney anyway. Besides, I can't stand Bones.
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The only name that should've been on that list.
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I read starbucksjunkie's name and only thought of Battlestar Galactica. Check please!
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James Garner is if Bill Paxton took the role. he would be the only actor who get close to Garner perfection. I'll stock up on the DVDs of the real Rockford and let this fail like Knight Rider.
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apparently. Again, I blame this site.
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It's got to be a toss-up between the Rockford Files theme or the Hawaii 5-0 theme. Curious both are getting reboots. What other 1970s properties can they recycle?
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bit of Garner about him too. Plus he would have brought a ready made fan base. Whoever picked this Muldooigan guy made one serious fuck up. it will be shite.
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What the hell makes Shore think he can do it better? It's like remaking 'True Grit' with Jeff Bridges instead of John Way....wait a minute.
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Seriously. Don't these TV executives learn from past mistakes? What remake of an older TV show has been successful? I can think of two, Battlestar Galactica and The Outer Limits. Maybe V but it's too early to tell. 90210 and Melrose Place are technically sequels to the original series. Failures have included The Fugitive, Family Affair, Knight Rider, The Bionic Woman, The Prisoner, The Twilight Zone (twice), Dragnet (the one with Ed O'Neill).
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now this shit, just stop. You should have left Life, Journeyman, and The Unit on instead.
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I'm eager to give the show a chance, though, because I assume a certain amount of professional rigor went into the choice (i.e. multiple auditions in which he totally killed it). Either way, it costs me nothing to give him a shot.
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I'd love a retro remake of Lost in Space. Infuse cg with the slightly upgraded original costumes and cheesy sets. Keep it campy. Have John Lithgow as Dr.Smith, and Tony Almeida and Michelle Dessler as the Robinsons. And Alan Kalter as the voice of Robot. It'd be gold I tell ya. GOLD.
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...maybe not quite as campy as the original.
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Easy.
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for it seems, all the good ideas came out during the 70s and 80s
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but James Garner was the man. Dermot Mulroney is a black hole of charisma. I'm not opposed to the idea of a new Rockford, but at least put somebody in there who can carry a series.
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Or QUINCY?
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Garner is Rockford. This is a reboot too far man, too far. Certain things are untouchable and this is one of them. I for one will not be contributing to the viewing figures. And when they get around to remaking Magnum PI, I'm gonna start hurting people.
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You know it's true. Peter Falk- giant shoes to fill and I always thought Columbo could never be played by anybody else, but if they do it ( and they will) this guy is the man to call. <p> Rockford played by Mulroney...hmm. I like Mulroney but he'd better harden up a bit if he wants to play our James Rockford.
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were successful because they relied on concepts close to the originals. Rockford, and Fugitive, prisoner, and Tzone had a central character or figure that was so tied to the series, it was unimaginable without them. Rockford without Garner is like Colombo without Falk
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...First "Hawaii Five-O," now this.
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It's totally Hawaii 5-0 for the theme song but Rockford's kicked some ass as well. Hopefully both will make good use of the original tunes.
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From Human Target... better choice, but perhaps too young. Dermot Mulroney has the charisma of a trash bin.
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Seriously, someone will have to clue me in on this one because apparently I went to sleep and woke up in Bizarro World. WHAT THE FUCK is Hollywood even thinking anymore?<p>Up above, AversionTherapy2 nailed it when he said: "Really? Recast one of the most charismatic and unique characters to ever hit TV? Lightning struck when Garner and Rockford got together. It's not going to happen again."<p>He's right, it's NOT going to happen again because it was a true case of an actor making a role his, a perfect melding that made the show a classic hit that's stood up all these years. So WHY even bother to remake it? Older people/fans who remember ROCKFORD will be pissed off by the recasting of a truly personable actor like Garner... meanwhile the younger generation has no recollection of the show at all, SO WHY NOT SIMPLY CREATE SOMETHING NEW?<p>What, it's TOO FUCKING HARD for writers in Hollywood to come up with a new detective show? What, the idea of an easy going guy who lives out of a trailer at the beach and solves crimes was TOO HARD of a concept to emulate in an all-new way? For crying out loud, I knew Hollywood was creatively bankrupt, but this is just flat out ridiculous.<p>And then just to top it off, these stupid cunts in suits at the networks actually sit around and wonder why TV ratings keep sinking lower and lower...
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So don't you network fucks go screwing up that one either!
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...and he was great in flicks like Where The Day Takes You, but he just doesn't have the charisma that it takes to play a character like Jim Rockford, or to carry a show week to week as the lead. As part of an ensemble, sure, he's capable of good work, but with everything on his shoulders, I just don't see it. Also it doesn't help matters that James Garner, with whom Mulroney will be obviously compared against, had such an excess of easy going screen charisma that you could remove 90% of it and he'd still be more charismatic than most of modern hollywood. I'll give Mulroney a shot, but he's facing one hell of an uphill battle...<p>Oh, and they should get James Garner in to play his pops, Rocky.
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is this In the Line of Fire Dermot or Point of No Return Dermot?<br><br>Don't remember much about RF, other than he lived in a trailer, and drove a Pontiac Fire Chicken. Oh, and didn't each episode start out with one of those new-fangled answering machines?<br><br>Considering how societal norms have changed, it would be interesting to see what a modern remake of Three's Company would be like...on cable.
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Just infectious!
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ThrowMeTheIdol is correct. Nice choice. Dermot Mulroney is a weak choice. Oh well.
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make it stop.
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...for them to remake The Rockford Files <b>without James Garner</b>. <p>I'm sure millions of other people have been saying "boy, the Rockford Files would be great if they just did it without James Garner" <p>Yeah, that's exactly what's needed.
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I too confuse them. Is it the man-whore from Wedding Date or the guy from "The Practice" that I just hear women refer to as 'mmmmm Bobby." I just merge them in my mind into Dylon McDermott Mulrooney. <p> Much the same as I merge two actresses to become one mighty Mary Louise Parker Posey. <p> Been watching Rockford on RetroTV. Very much enjoying.
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Hard Blue. Cold Blue. Blue Crap. Whatever it was. <P> Dermot needs to stop posing and take some acting lessons.
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I was thinking of DYLAN McDoozy. <P> I got no beef (yet) with DERMOT. <P> Cancel my previous rant.
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but in my post I confused BOSTON LEGAL with THE PRACTICE. What the f, is there a carbon monoxide leak in here?
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Can McConaughey grow a mindbendingly awesome STACHE?
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And the actors name is Michael Madsen. Or maybe Adam Baldwin. Mulroney is so wrong for this role. Sure, he has the charisma but he lacks the machismo.
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would be if Mulroney was Rockford's son thus making James Garner the new "Rocky"...
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will be a posh Malibu fuckpad.
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Bad casting kills another classic. No one can replace James Garner - sexiest PI ever.
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What a shit choice. Nothing against Dermot Mulroney as an actor, but Rockford was about the charisma of the star first and foremost, and this guy is no Jim Garner. Rockford was a falsely-convicted private dick whose father was LAPD, making him a former cop suggests they're removing the father role which was pretty important to the original. This is just all wrong. And odd, why remake Rockford when House was an original concept? (House being a medical, modern day Sherlock Holmes.) Then they could fit the main character to the actor, where here it's rewriting a character that worked totally differently. Just another show that won't have enough freedom to be alive so it'll get quashed.
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Remember that one.
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VINCE VAUGHAN! He could have pulled it off. The movie career is kinda stale right now anyway.
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Should be Angel
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Was the second season I believe. Still, it was a great season. The very hot Joan Severance was in that. If memory serves, Joan and Kevin were brother and sister and had an incestuous relationship. Ray Sharkey was the baddie in the first season, wasn't he?
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Hey, Rockford, I want to find Mannix. <P> Joe Mannix's daughter Josephine. <P> Forget about looking for Cannon.
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Vaughn's not a bad call for Rockford, though. Seeing as we're doing fantasy casting, just get Pierce Brosnan and have done with it.
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What a bore he is, so very wooden. No thanks. Needs more snark.
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Leave my sister out of this!
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And this is a VERY bad idea that needs to go away.
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And this is a VERY bad idea that needs to go away.
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sorry
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I really don't want it to happen at all but if it has to be anyone - Big Vince. And encouraging to see the lurve here for Wiseguy. Really good, solid show. Wasn't Ray Sharkey in this, too. Another career that should a been...Oh, and best TV theme ever: still Hill St. Blues. Please God, no remake...
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As bad an idea as re-booting Alex Haley's Roots..<br><br> With Gary Busey as Kunta Kinte<br><br> Seriously. This ain't a gag? Someone is actually gonna try and redo the Rockford Files with the guy who has irreversible cheek twitch?<br><br> Welp. way of the road..Some dumb suit wanted to put on a show that would fail..faster ..and farther.. than the Hawaii 5-0 reboot. The only other pilot with a more ridiculous casting as the lead..I mean really. The 3 rivers guy as Steve McGarrett? Dermot Mul whatsey as Jim Rockford? Really? C'MON MAN!<br><br> Faaaaaaahk! <br><br> I'm just gonna put it out there and you can yank on it as you see fit..while we are remaking classic TV shows with folk fully un-capable of coming close to pullin it off..<br><br> Can we get that unfunny fat kid from SuperBad as the new 'Cannon'? ..maybe get his wimpy wussy friend.. as the new 'Baretta'? I'd like Adam Samberg as the new Thomas Magnum....Gooood God!<br><br> What is wrong with Hollywood.
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A stray ICBM strike.
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Remember when Gary Busey was supposed to get the McGarrett role? <P> We've moved a long way up the Banzai Pipeline. <P> Oh, that reminds me. Anybody into the 60s and 70s vibe might enjoy Thomas Pynchon's new novel "Inherent Vice." That's if you care which version of "Wipeout" by the Surfaris has the laugh.
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But there are some things that you would change<p> If it were up to you<p> So think about your masterpiece<p> Watch the Rockford Files<p> Call to see if Paul can score some weed<p>
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The guy is the right kinda age, the right kinda attitude, the right level of charisma and 'low rent' style look and charm, and he's been great on Lost these past couple of years in what is, let's face it, a pretty thankless role really for the most part. In fact I'd even say that if most anyone else had played that role the character would likely be dead by now, it's only the fact that folks like Fahey that has kept him around so long.
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Can't wait for the remakes of:<p></p> "McMillan & Wife"<p></p> "McCloud"<p></p> "Cannon"<p></p> "Barnaby Jones"<p></p> "Rhoda"<p></p> "Bonanza"<p></p> "Little House on the Prairie"<p></p> ... need I continue?<p></p> oh wait!!<p></p> How about a "Happy Days" movie??!!?? ... but with an all Black cast! (Tyler Perry can write & direct)<p></p> Same with "Laverne & Shirley"! Cast Meagan Good and Vivica Fox (they're no brainers since they're in every other Black movie not made by Tyler Perry ... yet)<p></p> Thank God for the Original Series' on Cable!
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Eric Roberts for PETROCELLI. If only to see that dude get his house finished off.
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"Eh, just one more thing, dude."
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...He can continue his George Peppard riff and become BANACEK.
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Check out the reboot on Hawaii 5-O. Daniel Dae Kim yeah! Alex O'Loughlin????
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Fahey would have been perfect. Lapidus is Rockford as a pilot. I am still convined Dylan McDermott and Dermott Mulroney are the same person. And both of them are going to Suck as Rockford
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March 1, 2010, 11:27 a.m. CST
Is it still possible to live in a trailer by the side of the roa
by Royston Lodge
In California, is this still legal?
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Kate Mulgrew's gotta eat!
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She was the lady who humped the gardener in THrow Momma From the Train, and then she went into outer space in Battle of the Network Stars and shit. She's got a real sophisticated vibe...I'd love to dine on her clam.
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He's perfect for the role. Robb Wells would be great as Angel. And RDA would be perfect for Rocky. Now - who should play Beth Davenport?
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While movies have been unwatchable through most of the 21st century (and getting exponentially worse every year), television has been in a golden age. But now it looks like the uninspired hacks who destroyed the movie industry have set their sites on TV. I agree with the previous poster, Hollywood needs a stray nuke to hit them so we can start from scratch. With all the unemployed, in this country, they can't find someone with a single new idea??? Ugh, I don't mind movies sucking, but I depend on TV.
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or was "The Rockford Files" created specifically for James Garner? in any case, I agree. A remake is ill advised, and will most likely fail. By the way, it's grat to see some 'Wiseguy' luv here. One of my all time faves!
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if you're saying that they should remake 'Angel' with Danny DeVito as Angel....that ould be very interesting. If you want Bavid Boreanaz as Jim Rockford then no. I am a huge 'Angel' fan and a big 'Bones' fan, but Boreanaz isn't a good enough actor to carry a show by himself. He needs a really strong supporting cast to carry him. Jim Rockford is a role that requires him to be in virtually every scene.
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