The big picture
-
The Fall Guy
is an action comedy film based on
The Fall Guy
TV series starring Lee Majors. -
The six million dollar man
was a hit TV show, but plans for a film adaptation have faced many setbacks. - Adaptation efforts
The six million dollar man
for the big screen have been in progress since the 90s, with multiple changes of rights and direction.
The Fall Guy, a fun action comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, crashes into theaters this weekend and sees Gosling as Colt Seavers, a stuntman returning to the industry after a sabbatical, who is cast by his ex to find the missing star of the big-budget movie he's directing. And of course all the following things exploded and the general mayhem that would be expected. whatever you can no knowing is what the film is based on The Fall Guy TV series (and follows an earlier attempt at an animated adaptation by DreamWorks).
The series, which ran from 1981 to 1986, had Lee Majors in the lead role of Seaver. It was the follow-up to the hugely successful Majors series The six million dollar man. Sounds like another perfect property for the big screen, right? Well, in 2014, a film adaptation with Mark Wahlberg (now called The Six Billion Dollar Man) was officially confirmed, and yet, we still don't have it. But efforts to see the series adapted for film go back much, much earlier, to the late 1990s. It's been over 25 years now, where is it?
The six million dollar man
After a catastrophic test flight accident, an astronaut rebuilds himself with bionic technology, giving him unmatched strength and speed. Tasked with using his new abilities for covert operations, he faces complex challenges and formidable adversaries, all while grappling with the personal ramifications of his transformation.
- Publication date
- January 18, 1974
- chastity
- Lee Majors, Richard Anderson, Martin E. Brooks, Lindsay Wagner, Alan Oppenheimer, Quinn K. Redeker, Than Wyenn, John de Lancie
- seasons
- 5
“The Six Million Dollar Man” is more than a TV show
“Steve Austin, astronaut. A man barely alive. Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the technology. We have the ability to make the world's first bionic man. Steve Austin will be that man, better than before. better stronger Faster”. This is how it begins The six million dollar man, which follows the adventures of Lee Majors' former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, who is seriously injured while testing an experimental aircraft for NASA. close to death Austin rebuilds with a bionic right arm, increasing his strength, bionic legs that allow him to run over 60 mph, and an infrared bionic eye with a 20:1 zoom lens. The deal comes to a whopping…wait for it…$6 million, which, at the time of the series, was even a lot more money than it is today. Austin uses his new skills as a secret agent for the fictional Office of Scientific Intelligence, OSI.
But before he hit the small screen, Austin began life as a star Martin Caldin1972 novel Cyborg, with a story that would be echoed in the series. Caldin wrote four novels in total with Austin and made a deal for his hero to appear on television, beginning with three television movies in 1973 under the direction of the legendary Glen A. Larson. The first film was a hit, reaching the top 10 during its opening week, and the two follow-ups were proof that ABC had a winning concept on its hands. The series ran from 1973 to 1978, launching Lee Majors to stardom, a cornucopia of paraphernalia. (like this The six million dollar man lunch box at the National Museum of American History) and the iconic sound effects that accompanied Austin's action scenes. The series would also spawn the equally popular The bionic womanwith Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Sommers, which ran from 1976 to 1978, with the two characters appearing together in three made-for-TV movies after their cancellations.
Kevin Smith wrote a script for 'Six Million Dollar Man'
The journey to arrive The six million dollar manwhich would soon take the current name associated with the project, The Six Billion Dollar Man (inflation?) on the big screen began in 1995, with director Kevin Smith sending a script to Universal Pictures. There would be no more news about the project until 2001, when Miquel Zoumasa former executive with Bob Weinstein's Dimension Films, tried to get the project off the ground by working with Weinstein and two other executives to make a deal with the Caldin estate. With the deal done, there was nothing left to do but start rolling, right? Hmm, not so fast. The Caldin estate only had claims on domestic film adaptation rights. Worldwide, these rights belonged to Universal Television. To make the film, Dimension had to bring in Universal Pictures, which approved the point forward.
So, on with the show! No. Even with agreements in place, The Six Billion Dollar Man he was stuck in purgatory. Names like Will Smith, Leonardo DiCaprioi Bryan Singer I would circle the project, but I would pass it on. In 2003, Jim Carrey was named as the star, with joker i The hangover director Todd Phillips adapting the series as an action comedy, but that too fell apart. The inactivity surrounding the film pushed Weinstein to buy the domestic rights from the Caldin family for $750,000, according to the article cited above in The Wrapin order not to lose the rights altogether. It was a phenomenally bad decision, and the rights reverted to the family after the film was not made for seven years.and Weinstein renewing the option for $250,000 a year.
'The Six Billion Dollar Man' wins Mark Wahlberg, but loses studies
In 2014, hope was renewed when actor Mark Wahlberg and director Pete Berg were attached to the project. At least for a while. Wahlberg was still on board, but Berg was dropped soon after and replaced by the Argentinian director Damian Szifron. With an actor and director on board, it was an attempt, slated for release in 2017. Then Weinstein caused the project to crash again. Bob doesn't, though Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced executive. The sexual misconduct scandal destroyed The Weinstein Company and Dimension Pictures with it. with The Six Billion Dollar Man In danger, Warner Bros. came to the rescue and got the rights. Now with Wahlberg, Szifron and a rumored role Mel Gibsonfinally Steve Austin would hit theaters in time for 2019.
Mark Wahlberg was a hilarious scene stealer in this wacky comedy
This unusual dark comedy gave Wahlberg the opportunity to turn in one of his funniest performances to date.
But it can't be that smooth, can it? It wasn't. Szifron left the project in 2018, to be replaced by Travis Knight in 2019. With another rights extension until 2021, surely nothing could stop it now. Except no one wanted to make the movie with Wahlberg. As mentioned above The Wraptelevision critic Matt Zoller Seitz sums it up by saying, “Lee Majors was never going to win any awards for his blistering speed and versatility, but he had something – It had a real-world quality to all the guys that anchored the material. Mark Wahlberg just doesn't do it for me.” With no further progress, the rights once again reverted to the Caldin estate, who struck a deal for an 18-month extension for just $250,000. The final word comes from the same Wahlberg, who shared a promising update in December 2023, with Skydance Media pushing to acquire the rights. While it's the most promising news on the project yet, if you're betting, place your odds. The six trillion dollar man the summer of 2044.
The six million dollar man is available to watch on Peacock in the US
Look at Peacock
