Back in June of last year, Erik Davis blogged about a new project from indie filmmaker Todd Solondz. Said to be a companion piece to Happiness, the film was supposed to begin production in the fall, with the wonderful Paul Reubens/Pee-Wee Herman attached to star. There's been no word since then, and that's because the film slipped into limbo rather than slipping into production. As Erik mentioned -- since Solondz's indie hit Welcome to the Dollhouse, his films have done progressively worse at the box office. So, it's really no surprise to learn that this latest feature, Life During Wartime, is having money issues.

Reubens recently talked to MTV about the project and had lots of positive things to say about Solondz while ruing about the film's troubles: "If it gets made, I'm doing it -- but I'm not sure. It's gotten pushed three times. He's had problems with the financing on it. To me, it's such a sad state of events that he can't get that movie made. He's such a talented guy. His movies are so incredible." I imagine the fight for funding will continue for a while, but should the film get made, what will it be like? Well, rumored cast includes Emma Thompson, Demi Moore, and Paul Dano, and Reubens says: "It's characters from Welcome to the Dollhouse and Happiness whose paths converge. It's all different people playing the same roles. I'm playing a role someone else played in one of those movies." Now... If Pee-Wee was going to take on Dawn Wiener... I really, really hope they get funding because I would pay to see that.

If you've seen the films, what role would you want Reubens to play?

It was over two years ago that word started to rumble that Paul Reubens, otherwise known as Pee-Wee Herman, was going to find his way to the big screen once again in two new features -- something for kids, and something a bit more adult-tantalizing. Most recently, there was word in April, when Ruebens said the one was in "pre-pre-pre-production." Making a tortoise look speedy, neither are in the works yet, but Pee-Wee talked with MTV recently and said that they're both ready to go, and gave some plot details.

The first, you might remember, is a kid-friendly spin-off of his Playhouse, featuring all the original characters. This time, however, the film would take him and his friends out of the house for the first time. "this [film] takes place out of the playhouse. I think there are one or two scenes in the playhouse in the beginning. Basically, it's all in a fantasy land. It's like a Wizard of Oz, H.R. Pufnstuf epic adventure story." The second, the "dark" Pee-Wee movie, won't be R, but it will be Herman as a famous singer: "He has a hit single and gets brought out to Hollywood to make musical movies. He does everything wrong and becomes a big jerk." He insists that it isn't biographical.

But there's the kicker. He feels confident that he can star in both, but if he doesn't... "My second option is to have Johnny Depp play Pee-Wee." He says that he has even approached Depp about it, and that Johnny told him: "Let me think about it." Could that mean Tim Burton could return to the Herman fold? Of course, Reubens also talked to him, and says: "I have talked to Tim about one of them about a year ago. But Tim is booked. I think he would be interested in it, but he's really busy."

Reubens wants to "switch into a higher gear" to get these films made in the New Year, so maybe we won't have to wait another two years before something actually happens with this production. Excited yet?

As I pointed out in my Poltergeist review, I didn't watch much horror as a boy. That's probably a good thing, as even the non-horror flicks I enjoyed often scared the bejesus out of me. You kids today don't know how lucky you have it with your wussy Shreks and your lamewad Pikachus! Children of the 1980s are still in therapy over what Hollywood deemed "family films" back then. The following non-horror mind-screws should prove my point.

Return to Oz (1985)

In high school, I brought Return to Oz to a Halloween movie marathon. I hadn't seen it since I was a kid. Everyone scoffed. "A Wizard of Oz sequel? That's supposed to scare us?" I didn't hear a lot of mockery after the movie started. In fact, nobody said a word until about halfway through, when a friend of mine whispered "Can we please turn this off?" I'm not sure who thought this movie was appropriate for children. It gave me nightmares for nearly a decade.

Dorothy finds a key with an Oz symbol on it, shows it to Auntie Em and Uncle Henry as proof that Oz exists, and is sent to an insane asylum! An evil insane asylum where they give our young heroine electro-shock therapy! That's how this "childrens' film" starts! Once Dorothy gets to Oz, it's a speeding night train of horrors. How about that Nome King? Good LORD! Winged monkeys aren't scary enough anymore, let's give the kids The Wheelers -- sadistic shrieking psychopaths with roller skates instead of hands and feet! Kids today won't be satisfied with just a standard wicked witch, let's really ramp that up too, and ruin their lives! The sequence with the witch's cabinets full of human heads easily rivals anything in the Nightmare on Elm Street series for sheer terror. "Dorothy Gaaaaaale!!!!"

Even the heroes are horrifying! Jack Pumpkinhead? A hybrid stick n' pumpkin creature who calls Dorothy "Mother"? That's your good guy? Not cool, Return to Oz. Not cool.

The Neverending Story (1984)

Along the same lines as Return to Oz, The Neverending Story feels way too dark, weird, and just...wrong to be a kids' movie. I feel my eyes welling up now remembering Atreyu's horse slowly sinking into quicksand and dying. I can't even talk about the Gmork, that big wolfy vampire thing. And a storm called "The Nothing?" Sweet fancy Moses! Also, again, the heroes should not be scarier than the villains! The racing snail? The Rockbiter? That bat-dude? And Falkor? A big flying dog/dragon mutation with disgusting scaly eggs on his skin? We were supposed to root for this hellacious beast?

Another scream-inducing aspect -- one of the worst theme songs in all of 80's film. And that's saying a whole lot!

Before he gets started on those two new Pee wee Herman movies, Paul Reubens will have a role in a new Todd Solondz film. And no, that's not a joke. Sounds like the perfect way to win back your family friendly audience, huh? We're not sure whether this is the same Solondz film that was first announced back at Cannes in 2006, but we'll assume it is and it's currently scheduled to begin shooting this fall. No word on who Reubens will be playing; knowing Solondz and the type of material he's drawn to, the part might be a tad explicit. And since the film in question is apparently a sequel of sorts (or companion piece) to his 1998 flick Happiness, I'd say there's a good chance Reubens may once again be caught with his pants down.

Solondz has been absent from the film world ever since his 2004 film, Palindromes, failed to cross the $1 million mark at the box office. Then again, Storytelling didn't do much better -- in fact, ever since Welcome to the Dollhouse scored roughly $4 million, each film's gross has progressively gotten worse. If he's lucky, perhaps Solondz will walk away from his next project with 10 bucks and a free piece of Bazooka Joe gum. But I hate to knock the guy; although his films are a bit out there, there's definitely a method to his madness. And hey, he discovered Heather Matarazzo -- who, surprisingly, managed to get pretty over the years. Who woulda thunk it? As far as Reubens goes, he's still talking up these so-called Pee wee Herman films. Ideally, he'd like to shoot two, with one revolving around Pee Wee and his Playhouse pals embarking on a road trip, and the other -- labeled "the dark Pee-wee movie" -- has him dealing with "Hollywood and the trappings of fame." For those who'd like to see what Pee wee looks like now, Reubens donned the classic outfit for the first time in 15 years during Spike TV's Guys Choice Awards earlier this month. And yup, that's a pic of him up there to the right of this post.

Paul Reubens is one hell of a character actor, but that fact tends to get overshadowed by his greatest creation: Pee-Wee Herman. He had one of the funniest death scenes ever in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was terrific in the underrated Mystery Men, and got some long overdue respect for his role as the hairdresser/coke trafficker in Blow. He's been appearing in a lot of television these days, he was insanely hilarious as the inbred prince on a recent episode of 30 Rock -- "It feels good to laugh!" -- and the only remotely entertaining thing about this past season of Dirt, a show that certainly lived up to its name. NBC recently signed him to star in Area 57, a buzzed-about sitcom about "a passive-aggressive alien being watched over by a bunch of government employees" (Sounds like ALF, right?) The guy's pretty hot right now.

But what of Pee-Wee? There's been a lot of talk lately about the return of Pee-Wee, in not one but two major motion pictures. Reubens has stated that he would like to do one first that would be more for kids, and another darker film that would be more for adults. Imdb has Pee Wee's Playhouse: The Movie (the one for kids) listed for a 2007 release, but it doesn't seem like that is going to be the case. At a recent convention, Pee-Wee stated that another Pee-Wee movie is only in "pre-pre-pre-production," and that he is nearing a deal to secure financing for the film. Pee-Wee's Big Adventure is one of my favorite movies. I grew up on it, so it came as a huge shock to learn that Reubens is 54 years old! I guess watching someone play a grown-up kid for so long makes you forget the grown-up in there. The guy still looks great, but I do hope he gets these movies together before it just becomes ridiculous. Reubens has not appeared in full Pee-wee voice and regalia in 15 years. I say it's time!

Forget that stupid porno theater incident that Paul Reubens was involved in (because, really, who cares?) and think back to the first time you saw Pee-wee's Big Adventure. You may have forgotten all about it, but I bet you thought the flick was really wacky and amusing the first time around. I still watch it about once a year, and I still think it's one of Tim Burton's most completely entertaining films. Plus I love Large Marge.

So for fans like me who loved Pee-wee's Big Adventure (and kinda enjoyed Big Top Pee-wee) the question has stayed the same for about two decades: Will there ever be another Pee Wee Herman movie? Or has the character's shelf life long since expired? Mr. Reubens has had dual aspirations for quite some time now: 1. He'd like to do a relatively "grown-up" version of the iconic character's misadventures, and 2. He'd like to do another family-friendly flick, which would probably be a safer bet, financially. (Or would it?)

In a recent interview with The San Francisco Chronicle, Mr. Reubens seemed most interested in returning to the silver screen via the material that's proving so popular on Comedy Central reruns these days. But isn't the 55-year-old a little too ... aged to play such a youthfully silly character? Says P.R.: "I think there's a good chance that the next Pee-wee movie, we'll all look younger than we did originally." That'd probably take a CGI budget bigger than a Pee-wee Herman movie would warrant, but heck, I like that the guy's still trying to mount a PWH comeback. I know I'd buy a ticket.

[Via Defamer]

Way back in November, Martha told us how Paul Reubens was planning on revisiting his alter-ego Pee-Wee Herman for at least one more film. In a recent interview with the Onion's A.V. Club, Reubens talks about the new film, as well as his plans to also make an additional "darker" Pee-Wee flick.

As far as the first movie goes, Reubens says it may be ready to start filming early next year. Described as a feature film version of the old TV show Pee-Wee's Playhouse, the story will follow all of your favorite characters from the show as they take part in an "epic adventure" outside of the playhouse. On whether he will be giving the puppets an updated look, Reubens wants the whole thing to look as low-tech as possible ... probably because the budget for this puppy is pretty low.

Personally, I'm not sure how I feel about this. While I'm a big fan of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, it's been 18 years since the guy has taken on the role. At 54, does he still have enough juice in him to bring back the extremely lively and vivacious character? Will his one perverted mistake come back to haunt him and prevent audiences from truly accepting Pee-Wee back into their hearts? What do you think?

[via Cinema Fusion]

Even if it's crappy, Reno 911!: Miami is going to make money. It'll have a huge opening weekend, and then hang around long enough to make a profit, if only via DVD sales. That said, though, the show is both popular and shockingly clever (I can admit that now that I'm over my snobbiness and have watched it). Since the movie's being made by the same bunch of people, it might surprise some of my fellow snobs by actually being really good.

The film's production team, however, isn't counting on its quality to bring in new viewers: instead, they're augmenting their basically unknown cast with famous, ironically audience-grabbing names. A few weeks ago, it was announced that Paul Rudd had joined the cast, possibly as "some kind of whacked-out drug dealer," and now IESB is reporting that a whole slew of "stars" have been added, including The Rock, Danny DeVito, and Paul Reubens. While none of those guys is likely to play a massive role in the movie, the possibility that, say, Reubens will show up and do something self-effacing is enough to make pretty much anything more appealing.

The film is due for release sometime later this year - do I smell a box office surprise?

Dude, this one is so totally bunk. While some view a Woodstock-type setting as the perfect place to bathe in mud and consume as many different drugs as possible, David Arquette sees it as the perfect spot for a balls-to-the-wall horror flick. The Scream alum has been tapped to make his directorial debut with The Tripper, off a script written by Arquette and Joe Harris.

Pic surrounds a group of friends who travel to a modern-day Woodstock-ish concert, only to be stalked by some sicko who's out to finish what he started years earlier. Damn, talk about a serious buzz kill. Arquette and his lovely wife, Courtney Cox, are both said to be making cameos alongside a cast that includes Jamie King, Thomas Jane, Jason Mewes, Lukas Haas, Paul Reubens and Balthazar Getty.

With shooting set to take place this month, I'm wondering how a post-rehab Jason Mewes is going to handle this type of drug-induced environment. Oh, and since Woodstock is known for its blatant naked drum circles, which Pee Wee Herman do you think will show up?