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EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures and producer Scott Rudin will turn the groundbreaking ’70s sitcom Good Times into a feature film. They’ve set a writer, Phil Johnston, whose most recent credits include Wreck-It Ralph and Cedar Rapids. Rudin will produce the family comedy with Eli Bush.
While Rudin is selective about the remakes with which he becomes involved – Manchurian Candidate, Shaft and Sabrina – I think this has a lot of potential. The series, which aired on CBS from 1974-79, was one in a series of socially aware Norman Lear-generated sitcoms that pushed the envelope by mixing comedy with topicality and hot-button issues. Others included All In The Family (bigot patriarch), One Day At A Time (struggling single mother) and Maude.
Good Times focused on working-class couple James and Florida Evans as they raised three kids while struggling with hard financial times, unemployment and keeping their kids away from temptations that came with living in a Chicago housing project. The movie will be set in the 1960s, which gives Johnston a rich and politically charged period to mine.
William Bannister, Michael Daniels and Neville Mouguel will be associate producers and Eric Monte, Tammie Evans and Carlena Harris will be executive producers.
Johnston is repped by CAA and Management 360.
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Really – it’s come to this? There just aren’t any fresh ideas in Hollywood anymore.
This will flop, that’s no question. Perhaps the bigger story here is how Eli Bush turns from intern to producer in no more than 2 years?
THE SHOW ITSELF WAS INCREDIBLY ANNOYING.EVEN JOHN AMOS,WHOS WAS THE BEST THING ON THE SHOW COULDN’T TAKE IT AND LEFT.
No.
Just no.
Wow that’s DYNOMITE! This news is DYNOMITE!
Damn, Damn, Damn… casting will be everything.
Nice.
*Smashes punch bowl in frustration*
“Damn! Damn! Damn!” YAAASSS!
No, its “DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN!” She should have trademarked that phrase!
This will be a true waste of film and time, especially doing it in the 60′s… you’re going against the TV show. But I guess it will be work for a few African American thespians if not behind the camera
Good Times was funny because of Jimmy Walker. Period. This sounds like a bad idea.
Surely someone meant to release this info on April 1st?
I think Sony needs to remember back to Bewitched and I Spy. I have to wonder who thinks this is a good idea? Unless, of course, they get Tyler Perry to play Florida Evans. Then it’s guaranteed to be a hit!
Tyler Perry as Florida.. thats hilarious
Marsha Warfield as Florida
Great idea picking a white man to write this iconic African American story. Neither black or white people in this industry ever learn anything.
Anon, the tv series of “this iconic African-American story” was written by WHITE men, so everything is as it was. So, if you liked the tv series, you’ll probably like the film. Smooches.
The original was culturally offensive and stereotypical as well, jackass. But you’re right, black writers should not have ben considered for this at all. I’m sure they are waiting to call them in for the ‘Seinfeld’ adaptation.
Cam Jr, actually the show was created and written by 2 African-Americans Mike Evans and Eric Monte for all 133 episodes, 1974-1979.
Norman Lear was also a writer during that time frame but it was mainly those two men because it’s based on Eric Monte’s experience growing up in the Chicago housing project Cabrini–Green [note Michael Evans was named after the other creator Mike Evans and based on Eric]. So yeah it’s an issue when the main writer, who was born in Minnesota and grew up in Wisconsin, only writing experience appears to be comedies aimed at white Americans.
Iconic? “Roots” was an iconic African-American story. This? Not so much.
Can we step outside the “picking a white man to write this iconic African American story” for the moment? I have no problems writing a variety of characters and multicultural stories… so I will give respect to any writer that takes the craft seriously. Great writers, even good writers, rise to the occasion.
With that said, I am more concerned with – Will this film be labeled as a “black film” or an “urban film?” Because if it fails and most likely it will – will the industry say “we tried but urban films don’t work” or “we already did a black film – ten years ago”
Truth.
Uh, Norman Leer was Caucasian and instrumental in nearly all of the so-called “black experience” shows.
Norman LEAR was instrumental in “The Jeffersons,” but not “Sanford and Son,” “What’s Happening,” “227,” or any other “black experience” shows. However, he did produce other issue sitcoms such as “All in the Family,” “Maude,” and “One Day at a Time.”
Let the hating begin…
Really?!? Please tell me again what was so groundbreaking about a show about a poor black family struggling in the projects. Never mind, I’m sure the white writer they have hired, of course, will enlighten me with his vast knowledge of urban afrocentric culture in the 60s…DYN-O-MITE, indeed.
Wow this smells like a tasteless choice from Eli Bush (who acts like Scott Ruden, but has half the talent if that…). Shocked Ruden is involved.
a remake of Cooley High is inevitable.
A Maude reboot is also likely.
A remake of Cooley High, could actually work.
Scott’s very selective. He selected THE STEPFORD WIVES, after all…
Ha.
Yes, that was my favorite line too. ‘Rudin is selective about the remakes with which he becomes involved – The Manchurian Candidate, Shaft and Sabrina.’ Because those three movies were such artistic and commercial successes! (Shaft, especially, could have been a lucrative franchise, but was entirely mangled by Rudin and Singleton.) He should be MORE selective…
Seriously DH COME ONNNN
Are they high in Hollywood LOL!
Nooooooooo! Why in the 60′s? It’s going in the wrong direction already, not that we need it
Come on. Pathetic. There are some great writers with great scripts out there…that are NEW… try it. You just might like it.
The entertainment business has become a total JOKE! Is anyone with a brain in charge? Guess not, since all we read are about remakes; in film and TV. Think the left brain’s out looking for the right brain.
The following is a quote lifted from Eric Monte’s IMDB page…
“Working on Good Times was real hard. All the white writers wanted to do stereotypes and I refused. Every week we’d argue and fight. They would ignore what I suggested and take all that, “Yassuh Boss,” stuff to the cast and John Amos and Ester Rolle would have a fit. Then they’d give them what I wrote and the cast would like it they’d shoot it and it would go on the air. The next week it was the same fight. Originally I pictured J.J. as a street smart hustler who drove his honest, hard working parents crazy.”
I wonder if he’ll meet the same opposition or is the man to old to even fight anymore…cuz this town will beat ya down with nonsense it seems.
But when they made every white person look like a buffoon, that was okay? If you don’t want to do caricatures and stereotypes, that’s fine and admirable, but it doesn’t stop at one group of people.
“Made every white person look like a buffoon…” Kieran? You obviously have not watched the entire series. There are 6 seasons. Once you pull your head out of your entitled a**, go watch them and re-evalute your post and the chip on your shoulder.
kieran, shut up!
The only person they made look like a buffoon was Mr. Bookman, the super of the building, and he was black.
Really? So every white teacher didn’t come off looking foolish? Every time someone had to go down to a government office or to a personnel office to apply for a job, ALL those characters were NOT written to look like complete idiots at the expense of the main characters? I’ve seen the entire series several times and like it very much. But to pretend that they didn’t have some sort of reverse prejudice going on, well, you should pull YOUR head out of your ass and watch the show again.
Good Times featured sympathetic white characters (Alice Ghostley as the woman who helped Willona adopt Penny, the saleswoman at the department store when Penny shoplifts a necklace, the director’s assistant when Thelma writes a play) as well as unsympathetic ones (the girl from the sorority at the all girls school Thelma plans to attend.) There were unsympathetic black characters as well (Penny’s mother, the gang leader who forces JJ to join, the man who manages the supermarket selling spoiled meat, Alderman Davis, and a crooked preacher who tries to recruit JJ.) And several characters were complex (the white FBI agents who come for cousin Cletus are played as foils but apologize to Florida after they arrest him, the welfare office guy says he will try to help, even though it will take a year, Sweet Daddy Williams is a pimp/bookie who also supports JJs art career.) These were multi-faceted, richly written characters across the board.
Really? So every time they had to go see a teacher or authority figure at Michael’s school or if they had to go to a government office or to a personnel office to apply for a job, all those characters who were played by white actors were NOT made to look like buffoons and idiots? Think again. I’ve seen the series many times, have it on DVD and it’s one of my favorites, but if you’re going to pretend the show didn’t practice a subtle form of reverse prejudice, then you’re the one with your heard firmly planted up your ass.
Nobody can cry victim like white people in 2013. What happened?
Looking forward to D.J. Qualls as “JJ’, Jim Belushi as “James” and Melissa McCarthy as “Buffalo Butt”.
Whatever happened to the actress who played Penny? I can’t remember her name. She was a cute little girl at the time. Maybe Justin Bieber could play the role of Penny, or even Michael.
I believe the name of the obscure little actress you’re looking for is… Janet Jackson.
So, it’s true, sarcasm really doesn’t translate in print.
Watching this series created a lot of adult social progressives today (as did “Julia” I think.) It was often very intense Jimmie Walker aside so an interesting challenge and not an easy one at all. Esther Rolle and John Amos were really, really good. Denzel W. and Viola Davis are not a bad idea actually if you could get them. Yet to star in a movie together and they should. Lots of great roles for African Americans of all age ranges too. Jeffrey Wright would be a good James Evans as well.
It’s ironic that the show that produced so many social progressives (if that is true) was about people who were victimized by progressive policies. Cabrini-Green, Pruitt-Igoe … the list goes on. All were products of The War on Poverty and The Great Society.
Eugene, you sure have your right-wing talking points down.
History, not so much…
Instead of the “talking points” cliche, say what exactly in that post is wrong.
This could work,I loved the original, and could see this being great, if it can catch the right tone.
But why set it in the 1960s? That has nothing to do with the original, and will turn it into something else. Why not leave it in the mid-to-late 70s?
Why him?
Moving it back from the 1970′s to the 1960′s?
Is this necessary? Like…are there REALLY no fresh, new ideas? And of all the shows to remake, why ‘Good Times’? Oh, that’s right! More profiting off the further stigmatization of Black people. I get it.
Hollywood is always on that bullshit.
You can say that again, because that is all this is, BS.