From MTV, It’s been thirty years since one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time went off the air. These days, Ice Cube is pushing forward plans for its return, and hopes the old fans will give him the benefit of the doubt by offering two familiar words: Welcome back.
“There’s a script,” the “First Sunday” star said of “Welcome Back, Kotter,” which would bring an urban take to the 70’s TV classic. “We’ve got the same characters, they’re just re-vamped to suit the times, totally different. It’s like, flipped. With me playing Kotter, how couldn’t it be?”
For those unfamiliar with the show that launched John Travolta’s career, “Kotter” tells the story of a former high school troublemaker who returns to his New York stomping grounds to teach a new generation of underachieving misfit students. Cube said that the current script will maintain that basic framework, but that Mr. Kotter won’t be telling schtick-y uncle jokes anymore.
“No, I won’t be going that far,” he laughed. “You know me, I’m gonna flip it. It ain’t gonna be no Gabe Kaplan sh-t.”
The rapper/actor also revealed that they’ve done away with the Barbarino dance, as well as Epstein’s running gag of bringing in phony letters from his mother. “The names will be saved, don’t worry about it. Everybody will have the same name,” he insisted. “To me, it’s still a comedy, but it’s real. It’s more of a ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High,’ not so much ‘Up your nose with a rubber hose’.”
Asserting that he was always a fan of the original show, Cube admitted that it hasn’t dated all too well. “How could I do [the movie] remotely like the series? They’re still Sweathogs, the people that nobody wants to teach,” he explained of the script by “The Hot Chick” writer Tom Brady. “That’s how it was back in the day - I know it was a comedy, but now we’re flipping it for the movie. These are f-ck ups, real f-ck ups, not no [doing a Washington voice] ‘Mr. Kot-ter‘ sh-t. You know what I mean?”
If the movie does go down, however, Cube has every intention of finding the old-school Sweathogs to stand alongside the new ones. “I want everybody. I want Travolta for a cameo, I want Gabe Kaplan for a cameo. I want Epstein, Horshack, Washington,” he insisted. “If they do [make the movie], I want ‘em in.”
That’s where the problem comes in. With all the strike uncertainty currently surrounding Hollywood, Cube’s “Kotter” is currently residing in development hell. “Ask the Weinsteins,” he shrugged, before offering one surefire indicator being watched by Bob and Harvey. “If you do want to see [my version], then you should pick up the DVD series.”
Ooh…oooh…Are you excited about the idea of a “Kotter” remake? What do you think of Cube’s new vision for tougher Sweathogs? Weigh in with your thoughts below!
10 comments:
This has the potential to be a disaster of epic proportions. I'll be there, that's for damn sure. (On the couch, not at the movie theater.)
I'll watch it if Gabe Kaplan comes back!
Kotter really doesn't hold up well at all. I once thought Horseshack was endearing but now I find him pathetic and needy.
I don't know what Gabe saw in Mrs. Kotter anyway. She's always had something up her ass.
And don't get me started on Bobarino...
You know, now that I think of it, Mr. Woodman may not have deserved that old crank reputation. He would make the best dinner guest of the lot. Epstein would show up late and then steal your silverware.
Boy am I getting old. And bored.
On further reflection, Kotter would be the best choice for the dinner guest. You might roll your eyes when he starts talking about his uncle but hey, at least he's making an effort.
i did love that show back in the day, but it surely does not hold up.
Hold up or not, I don't think it's okay to say "It ain't gonna be no Gabe Kaplan shit." He was the show's title character -- if you're going to leach off the popularity of a popular old series, show a little damn respect.
And I find his constant mention of "flipping it" very grating. I have no automatic hate response for movies created out of dubious origins: sequels, prequels, remakes, TV-based, video game-based, cartoon-based, etc. I see any of those weird new genres as a chance to make a good movie.
But what keeps on happening are these movies that drag the source material through the mud for a low-effort, usually ineffective laugh. They call it "flipping it" like it's a good thing, but so often it winds up being a crappy ripoff of the story and character names and the only reason it connects with the original show is to lure a few more clueless gen-Xers into the theaters.
Not only that, "flipping it" is now considered a required part of the process. When they made Grindhouse, a genuinely true homage to a beloved subgenre, everybody rolled out with "well, those old movies weren't all that great to begin with."
Neither was Starsky and Hutch! But that doesn't mean you dust off an old classic and then kick it in the nuts! Sheesh.
Awesome rant, Octo, and I completely agree! I was once at a collector's show and Horseshack was sitting alone at a table trying to sell some children's book he was selling. I found myself near the table and he jumped up and stuck out his hand for me to shake. I shook his hand (weak handshake) and I was struck by how tiny he is in real life, and how very, very gay he is. I talked to him for a second but I think he was annoyed that I asked him what Gabe was up to, "Spending his fortune, I guess" was the answer.
The show most certainly does not hold up but I love Gabe Kaplan. As JSP noted, he'd be fun to have dinner with, sure you'd get some bad jokes about his "uncle", but he just seems like the nicest guy in the world.
Also, the Welcome Back, Kotter theme song is one of the best ever. To this day I picture Brooklyn looking like the opening of the show credits.
my parents both went to high school in brooklyn, so my dad considered himself a "real" sweathog.
Excellent rant Octopunk.
That's so funny, AC, six degrees of separation from a sweat hog!
God, why did they want to be called "sweat hogs" like it was a badge of honor. It would be like calling yourselves "stinky losers" or something.
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