Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here. Sorry for the bluntness of that headline, but I’m having trouble wrapping my head around this one. If you haven’t been following the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding the American remake of the classic Channel 4 sitcom SPACED, you’ve missed some pretty juicy stuff. The first time I ever heard of Edgar Wright, it was well before SHAUN OF THE DEAD existed. My manager slipped me tapes of this show called SPACED and told me I should watch them and then, if I liked them, maybe talk to this guy named Edgar. As I watched both series of the show over the course of one long weekend, I felt like I had been introduced to a long-lost friend I didn’t know I had. How did he know all those inside jokes between me and my buddies? How did he manage to speak our particular geek code even though we were from totally different places? I found myself riveted not because I felt like the show was about people I knew... but because I felt like it was about people I knew AND IT WAS FUCKING GREAT. All I’ve ever wanted was a bells-and-whistles DVD release of the original series here in the US. Music rights issues made that impossible for a long time, and just as the news came down that we’ll finally see it happen in the near-future, word also broke that the show was going to be remade for American audiences. More importantly, word broke that Edgar, Simon Pegg, and Jessica Stevenson would not be involved in any way, and that even if they wanted to be involved, they wouldn’t be allowed. Huh? I’ll let Pegg explain first. Not convinced? Check out what Jessica had to say. Shocking, isn’t it? Well, now Collider’s got a review up of the pilot script for this American remake, and you should check it out:
In case you’re curious… Matt wrote a review of the pilot script for Spaced (the US remake) steve
Yes, we here at AICN are mighty fond of Pegg and Wright and Stevenson, but this is just wrong on any level.
With THE OFFICE, at least Merchant and Gervais were involved. They retained producer’s credits on this, and one has to hope that if they had dug their heels in after seeing a pilot and screamed, “OH GOD NO!” someone might have listened.
The only reason you are considering an American remake of SPACED, McG, is because there was an original. Instead of pissing on the people who created it, how about involving them and making sure that you don’t burn down the only fanbase the show has?
Right now, I can confidently predict that unless things change, I won’t see one second of this show, and I’ll wager there are a number of fans who feel the same.
Do the right thing, McG. It’s not too late.
Drew McWeeny, Los Angeles
Drew McWeeny, Los Angeles
