'Gilligan's Island' Almost Got An Unthinkable Reboot
It seems the mythical R-rated, live-action version of Scooby-Doo may have some competition in being the weirdest reboot that got away – according to Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, classic TV fans were super close to getting a gritty take on their boomer parent's favorite series both in the '90s and a few short years ago -- cannibalistic Gilligan's Island.
The revelation came earlier this week, when Gunn hopped on Twitter's “pitch a movie in two images” trend, sharing a photo of the Gilligan's Island cast alongside a very old-timey illustration depicting everyone's favorite past time – cannibalism. Despite the weird juxtaposition of these two snaps, Gunn says he was not the first to dream up this ultra-gory take on Gilligan's Island, explaining that the concept was a real pitch, dating back roughly two decades.
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“A true story: In the late ‘90s screenwriting GOAT Charlie Kaufman pitched a movie version of Gilligan’s Island where the islanders, starving & desperate, started killing & eating each other,” Gunn explained in a subsequent tweet.
Although at the time, it seems Kaufman managed to pull off the tricky part of greenlighting any edgy reboot, getting Warner Bros. on board, ultimately, one member of the Gilligan's Island team managed to put the kibosh on the whole project. “Sherwood Schwartz, the creator, said no way,” Gunn recalled.
The idea seemingly laid dormant, gathering dust alongside other scrapped projects like the CW's (allegedly) ultra-cursed Powerpuff Girls series the Lizzie McGuire reboot (#LetLizzieF--k), however, Gunn says he revisited the concept in the 20-teens.
“After Guardians I tried to resurrect the idea & wanted to direct,” he explained in a later post. “It seemed Warners & Charlie were interested but, this time, the estate of the late Sherwood Schwartz nixed it."
Even with this failed second attempt, it seems there may still be a sliver of hope for those of us who want to see a (hopefully more than) three-hour tour filled with blood, guts, and perhaps The Skipper sinking his teeth into a screaming Gilligan's skull. “Anyway, if the Schwartz estate changes their mind, I’m here,” Gunn added.
So, in the off chance this revival finally sees the light of day, we have one thing to say – our money is on Ginger.
Top Image: CBS/Daily Journal ONline
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