While I was a huge fan of the early-90s “American Gladiators,” I only watched the new NBC series once before I realized how stupid it was (and yes I’m fully aware the original was stupid too but it wasn’t nearly as over-the-top). If a new series of “American Gladiator” failed to catch on with the American public, what promise does a movie hold? Yes, a movie.
Johnny Ferraro, creator of “American Gladiators” is moving forward on a feature adaptation of the series with Scott Mednick who exec produced films like 300, SUPERMAN RETURNS and WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. Now obviously, on the surface, this sounds like a horrible idea. But apparently “Gladiators” was originally conceived as a movie before it was somehow adapted into a game show for TV. I’m just at a loss for how you can bring the Gladiators, who have a reputation for being wanna-be wrestlers and former porn stars, to the screen in any kind of serious way. But then again, if you can get Malibu to star, I might be in. And to be fair, this isn’t the most ridiculous “based on a TV game show movie” idea I’ve ever heard. This would still take that prize.
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