First James Garner, Dermot Mulroney now...

[Captaindemotion]

Vince Vaughn is to play Jim Rockford in a big screen adaptation of The Rockford Files

http://www.deadline.com/2012/04/uni...s-for-vince-vaughn-to-play-james-garner-role/

Universal Studios has set David Levien and Brian Koppelman to write The Rockford Files, a feature adaptation of the memorable series that ran on NBC from 1974-80 and featured James Garner as the down-and-out private eye. The studio will develop the film as a star vehicle for Vince Vaughn to play Rockford, and Vaughn and Victoria Vaughn will produce through their Universal-based Wild West Picture Show Productions banner.


Universal’s sister network NBC has been trying to relaunch The Rockford Files as a TV series but put the brakes on it last year.

The original show is, along with Maverick, one of the great James Garner's signature roles. Garner played the wise-cracking, slightly cowardly 'tec in the 1970s and then reprised the role for some telemovies in the 1990s. The show was revived with Dermot Mulroney in the lead role for a short-lived series last year.

Vaughn played a villain in the big-screen version of another famed tv show, Starsky and Hutch. However, whereas that was a spoof, I can see him playing Rockford in much the same tongue-in-cheek but not out-and-out comedy vein that Garner's show had. Rockford was not an action hero, he was always a reluctant hero and Garner had excellent comedy timing and chops. And Vaughn has also mastered that slightly slobby, dishevelled air that Garner had down pat.

But I do hope Vince will lose some weight for the role!

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Vaughn's a good choice.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Please don't let it be a comedy/spoof of the show like so many of these things...

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ The following extract from the link makes me think that it won't:

(Writers)Koppelman and Levien, their script Runner Runner was just greenlighted by New Regency with Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck starring for Lincoln Lawyer helmer Brad Furman. Vaughn and the scribes are repped by CAA. The scribes were lawyered by Karl Austen, who closed the deal for the estate of Huggins, creator of the Rockford character.

The other credits for these writers include Ocean's 13 and Runaway Jury. Nary a spoof in sight. The Runner, Runner movie mentioned seems to be a drama. And one would like to think that the estate of the original show's creator, who were involved in the deal, would treat it with some respect.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

Vaughn's a good choice.

Ditto. He has a vibe similar to Garner's.

 

[RandyS]

What's a "cowardly tec"?

Oh and OT: I would see this at least once. I loved the original show.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

What's a "cowardly tec"?
.

tec = detective

Cowardly dick would be better.

 

[J.T.B.]

Vaughn strikes me as too smug for Jimbo, though I haven't seen a lot of his stuff. But that's just the title role. I really, really doubt that a new "Rockford" can capture the charm and chemistry of Garner, Noah Beerey Jr., Joe Santos, Stuart Margolin, Gretchen Corbett and James Luisi. I don't think I'll bother.

Rockford wasn't cowardly, he got himself into all kinds of jams that he could have avoided. He didn't like getting in fights if he didn't have to, but he took a lot of beatings just the same. And he wasn't down-and-out, either, though he wasn't always current on his bills. He could afford a new Firebird every year or two!



Justin