Kevin Smith is working on a television series adaptation of cult film The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.
The new project comes as a direct result of Smith’s recent directing gig on The Flash, which Smith says opened up a lot of “weird doors” for him.
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“I’ve never f*cking done anything in my life that had more people saying, holy sh*t, good job,” Smith said on the May 13 episode of his Hollywood Babbl-On podcast. “Like 22-year career, man. Not even in the beginning, when they liked me and sh*t.”
One of those doors was at MGM, where he met with executives about adapting the genre-defying film to television.
“Basically you just do the entire movie for season one, then season two you finally do the sequel we’ve all dreamed about, Buckaroo Banzai against the World Crime League,” Smith explained of his approach to the adaptation.
The original Buckaroo Banzai was directed by W.D. Richter. The film starred Peter Weller as neurosurgeon, particle physicist, race car driver, rock star, test pilot and comic book hero Buckaroo Banzai. Banzai leads the Hong Kong Kavaliers – played by Clancy Brown, Pepe Serna, Lewis Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and Billy Vera. They’re tasked with fending off an invasion by aliens called Red Lectroids, led by John Lithgow as Lord John Whorfin and his second in command, Christopher Lloyd as John Bigbooté.
Smith says he wants to bring back as many of the film’s original actors as possible. He also says that the wheels on the project are very much in motion, and that he’ll be shopping the project around as early as this month.
Via Uproxx
