New Line Rebooting "Police Academy"

Movie News

New Line Rebooting "Police Academy"

By our guest blogger, Matt Jussim

New Line is rebooting the "Police Academy" franchise.

According to the Hollywood Reporter: New Line is looking for recruits for a relaunched "Police Academy" movie. Original producer Paul Maslansky is back for the new iteration, which has no writer or director attached.

The original seven-film comedy series set up the premise that due to a policy change, the police department must accept all willing recruits, effectively abolishing various standards.

The films followed a group of misfit recruits including a likeable rogue, a busty blond, a small mousy woman with a loud angry voice, a gentle giant, a gun-nut and a one-man sound effects machine. Normally set up to fail by an ambitious captain, the group always ends up saving the day for their boss--the kind yet clueless Commandant Lassard.

The first film, released in 1984, starred Steve Guttenberg as Mahoney, a repeat offender who is forced to enter the academy and emerges as the group's leader. Other notable characters included Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith), gun-crazy Tackleberry (David Graf), mousy Hooks (Marion Ramsey) and sound effects-spewing Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow).

The first was R-rated and took in $81.2 million at the domestic box-office and $146 million worldwide in 1984--making it easily one of the year's biggest hits. All told, the franchise took in about $240 million worldwide and inspired a pair of TV series.

It's hoped that this reboot will not only revitalize the brand but will mix a bunch of new talent with seasoned comedy veterans.

Said Maslansky: "It's going to be very worthwhile to the people who remember it and to those who saw it on TV. It's going to be a new class. We hope to discover new talent and season it with great comedians. It'll be anything but another movie with a numeral next to it. And we'll most probably retain the wonderful musical theme."

As of yet there has been no word on what tone the comedy will take--the raunchier, edgier comedy of the early films or the kid-friendly slapstick of the later ones. Either way, it’s another remake for Hollywood, let’s just hope they also don’t screw this up.

I hope they bring Steve Guttenberg back, along with that guy who does “the voices” (parodied heavily and hilariously on “Family Guy”).