After years of trying to get there, Will Ferrell is finally making his way to the Land of the Lost.
Variety reports that the big-screen adaptation of the cult classic ’70s Saturday morning show, a project Ferrell has been attached to since it was announced several years ago, has been given the go-ahead by Universal for a March start. From the article:
Decision to greenlight the Will Ferrell project surprised observers, who are aware that U had a rough ride with its $160 million comedy “Evan Almighty.” Studio sources suggest the budget of “Land of the Lost,” described as an event comedy, was recalibrated from $125 million to $100 million in order to earn its start date.
Brad Silberling will direct from a script by Chris Henchy and Dennis McNicholas, which is summarized as follows:
Adaptation…revolves around a disgraced paleontologist, his assistant and a macho tour guide who find themselves in a strange world inhabited by dinosaurs, monkey people and reptilian Sleestaks.
The original Sid & Marty Krofft series, while certainly cheesy, wasn’t exactly played for laughs; it was an attempt to bring large-scale adventure to kids on a Saturday morning budget. The film, in contrast, seems certain to go the campy route — which is probably the only way to adapt the show, really, but it’s still probably going to raise the hackles of some longtime fans. On the other hand, those fans are handily outnumbered by people who would gladly pay ten bucks to see Will Ferrell wandering around a strange world inhabited by dinosaurs and monkey people.
Source: Variety
