Hollywood loves an adaptation, and with the success of franchises like “Mission: Impossible” and “Star Trek,” it's no wonder they keep going back to the television well.
The latest TV-to-movie adaptation will be “Good Times,” Norman Lear's groundbreaking, socially-aware comedy. According to Deadline, Scott Rudin will produce and Phil Johnston (“Wreck-It Ralph”) will write.
“Good Times” was one of the first sitcoms to focus on an African-American, working-class family. James and Florida Evans struggled to get by while raising three kids in a Chicago housing project. The show approached their financial troubles, as well as social issues, with wit and humor, and many viewers still fondly remember star Jimmie Walker's classic catchphrase, “Dyno-mite!”
The movie version will be set in the tumultuous ‘60s, “a rich and politically charged period to mine,” Deadline notes.
But for every TV adaptation hit, there's a “Bewitched,” “Dukes of Hazzard,” or “A-Team.” Even big-screen versions that initially succeed can end up failing miserably later (see: “Sex and the City,” parts 1 and 2). And it's rare for an adaptation to do well both critically and commercially, like “Starsky and Hutch.” Consider that last year's “21 Jump Street” was barely an adaptation — keeping just the TV show's name and basic premise.
Will “Good Times” be a good time, or dynamite disaster? Tell us in the comments below!
[via Deadline]
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