TheGreatestAmericanHero Tagged Articles at Cinematical

For the last 28 years, William Katt has been The Greatest American Hero. Ralph Hinkley was just trying to go about his business and be a good teacher, but an alien suit left to help rid the Earth of baddies turned him into a bumbling hero. Hinkley could have been cool and slick in that red suit, but that whole lack of an instruction manual made such hopes impossible.

There have been murmurings before about a new feature film -- 2008 was filled with them -- but they haven't gone anywhere. And now one fan's dream makes me wish they would. In a talk with IFC, Nathan Fillion said there was one superhero film he thinks he can handle, a redo of GAH. In his mind: "With the technology we have available today for effects, I'd say it's largely the same idea, the same story, but the suit would be able to change and morph into whatever it is you needed him to do. So it could become armor, a scuba suit -- you could do that stuff." And while he isn't actively making it at this point, he's met both Katt and Robert Culp on the set of Castle, and the show's stunt coordinator is the guy who did Katt's stunts on the '80s show. So, as Fillion says, "I've got my all my fingers in the right pots."

I have to say: I love the idea. Fillion knows how to be both earnest and goofy. He's charming and likable, and could pull off a new Hinkley without being a bleak caricature or completely re-imagining the character. (And imagine what that suit would do without a manual!) If anyone is going to make this, they should give him the reigns. But one question remains: Who would play Culp's Bill Maxwell? Without the right man, a remake would be pointless.

While he isn't really a "super" hero (at least not in the innate superpower sense), William Katt -aka- Ralph Hinkley -aka- The Greatest American Hero has always been my top dog. So, I've been pretty apprehensive about a big-screen reboot of the wacky '80s series -- my nights plagued with nightmares of Zac Efron, topped with a really bad perm, flying into walls.

But at the very least, the new feature might get some old-school cameos. According to MTV, Connie Sellecca says that the famous trio -- her, Katt, and the splendid Robert Culp, have all received offers for cameos in the remake. Whether they take Stephen J. Cannell up on the offer remains to be seen. But at least that's something. In the meantime, there's also a comic book and animated webisodes on the way, so Katt-style Ralph is far from finished.

And as an added bonus to you lucky goons in the states, the MTV link above contains a clip of Culp taking issue with Ralph being called a superhero.

It's like a light of a new day. It came from out of the blue -- breaking me out of the spell I was in, making all of my wishes come....true? I'm not ashamed to say it -- I am a huge fan of The Greatest American Hero. I would take on a job shining Robert Culp's shoes if given the opportunity, and William Katt is one of the big reasons that I own the movie Jawbreaker (even though he's only in it for a split second). Ralph Hinkley is my hero, and I'd pick him over Spider-Man, Superman, or even Wolverine (okay, maybe not the last one, if we're talking X-Men or X2).

So, am I happy or sad about the fact that Moviehole is reporting that the cinematic adaptation is a go? I'm not sure... They say that the film is now on-track to begin production this July, and that a casting call is being sent out to agents -- and they want "names." (I'm not sure if there is a name out there who can believably take either role...) Stephen Herek is set to direct, and while I'm not a fan of his recent work, he is the dude behind Critters, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, and The Mighty Ducks. As for the writers, the project reteams Bill & Ted scribe Chris Matheson with Herek, and adds Ryan Rowe (Charlie's Angels) to the mix.

Now, the big, ginormous issue I do have -- Pam Davidson is nowhere to be found. Moviehole says that the casting description says Hinkley is: "a high school history teacher in Tempe, Arizona, a bachelor who hasn't yet found the right girl." What the eff? I sure hope this is wrong, or that he finds Pam during the movie... Herek, Matheson, and Rowe -- If you mess this up, I will dress Katt up in the suit, and catapult him in your general direction!

Growing up, I always knew weekend warriors to be guys like my dad who would work through the week, seemingly normal, and then go action-hero wild on the weekend. Rationale went out the window as men everywhere would hand in their work attire for parasails, jetskis, and anything other device they could play hard with while disregarding their own safety. Now the tune is getting shifted just a little bit. The Hollywood Reporter has posted that Dean Parisot, the guy who helmed the geek-loved Galaxy Quest, is in final negotiations to direct the upcoming film Weekend Warrior for Warner Brothers.

This project is said to be in the tone of Ghostbusters, but it just sounds like The Greatest American Hero to me. The film "follows a high school teacher and armchair home repair enthusiast who unwittingly becomes a superhero." See? All you need to add make it a match are some aliens, a goofy suit, a sarcastic FBI man, and a classroom full of rebels that he's molding into good citizens. Since it's in the tone of Ghostbusters, however, I imagine it'll have much more bite and less real-life hero feel to it. And presumably much less painful-looking crashes. The script comes from Bill Birch, an actor who has had a ton of television stints on shows from The Young and the Restless to Sleeper Cell (he's also the pen behind The Pre-Astronauts). It's too early to decide much about the picture, but it looks like it could have promise.