Quote:
Fox housing British `Spaced`
U.K. comedy being remade for U.S.
By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER
`Spaced`
British comedy `Spaced,` about a couple sharing an apartment, will be renovated for Fox.
Fox has locked its orbit on "Spaced," a U.K. comedy being retooled for American auds.
Net has given a put pilot order to the project, originally created by the "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" team of Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright (as well as Jessica Stevenson). "Will & Grace" alum Adam Barr is set to adapt the show for the U.S.
"Spaced" revolves around a young man and woman (played by Pegg and Stevenson in the U.K. version) who pose as a couple in order to rent a cheap apartment. They`re soon surrounded by colorful neighbors and eventually begin a flirtation.
The single-camera comedy is particularly known in Britain for its frenzied use of pop culture references -- particularly when it comes to sci-fi, horror, comicbooks and videogames.
Wonderland Sound and Vision is behind the project, as well as Warner Bros. TV (where Wonderland is based) and Granada, which holds format rights. Wonderland TV prexy Peter Johnson first discovered the show while talking to someone at a comicbook store; as a "Shaun of the Dead" fan, he quickly looked to seal the rights.
Wonderland`s McG and Granada`s Robert Green will exec produce alongside Barr; the extent of Pegg`s and Wright`s involvement is still unclear. But Johnson likens the effort to NBC`s adaptation of Ricky Gervais` and Stephen Merchant`s "The Office" for the U.S., with Greg Daniels in charge.
"Spaced" has been nominated for a BAFTA and an Intl. Emmy Award, among other honors. Channel 4 aired seven episodes of season one in 1999 and another seven segs of a second season in 2001.
Barr`s other credits include "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and "Desperate Housewives."
www.variety.com/article/VR1117974978.html?categoryid=1236&cs=1&p=0
I`m speechless. :(
I thought you`d have already seen that, it came out at the beginning of the week.
Supposedly in his blog (or something anyway) Simon Pegg has indicated he won`t have any involvement at all, unlike Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant who were/still are executive producers on the USA Office.
My DVD collection
Quote:
I thought you`d have already seen that, it came out at the beginning of the week.
It was a lovely surprise on StumbleUpon a few minutes ago. :( Saw the date, I hadn`t heard anything about it at all. :(
Quote:
Simon Pegg has indicated he won`t have any involvement at all
That`s either a ray of light that it`s so awful that it might not even have the pilot go public, and therefore won`t ruin my happy memories of Spaced; or a bad omen that it is awful and will still be a huge hit and will end up with more episodes made than real Spaced! :(
I would be more cynical had the US not made such a good job of translating The Office. Okay, so they`ve f***ed up on just about every other programme they`ve nicked off us, but The Office is ace.
Giggity giggity!
DVD Reviewer News Hound
But have you *seen* "The New Adventures of Old Christine"? :(
Dead in the water apparently
From AICN
Quote:
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. McG`s SPACED was doomed from day one. It would have had to have been phenomenal on top of hugely successful to shake any of the negativity surrounding it right now.
I don`t lay all of that on McG`s feet. From what I understand he always intended to include Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson in the process, but was advised against it in the early days of the option. If that`s true, then it`s a shame, but still... McG should have known better. That one little thing could have made the difference here.
According to Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood, who has had a fantastic line on the business for years now, Fox has just turned down the pilot.
If it wasn`t for Wright and Pegg`s continuous statements on their displeasure for this project and the fan community surrounding them on it, would Fox have made this call? Who knows? I`d like to think it did, but not because Fox cares about fans (what they`ve done to their superhero and sci-fi franchises proves that), but because the series remake really is surrounded by a Pigpen-like black dust cloud of negativity.
Spaced was always made by fans for fans. That was the appeal of the show. Without the fan support I can see how unattractive the project looks.
My DVD collection
This item was edited on Sunday, 11th May 2008, 12:52
couple that with the fact the UK DVD boxset has just been released over there, it was surely the final nail
============================
Curse this infernal alcohol...
Writer`s Release
My Collection
Quote:
couple that with the fact the UK DVD boxset has just been released over there, it was surely the final nail
With (surprise, surprise) more extras than the UK version >:(
Live a life you love, use a god you trust, and don`t take it all too seriously
<br>
<br>