American Gladiators: The Edge Of Reason

FINALLY, Hollywood is taking all of the fun and excitement and adventure and intrigue of American Gladiators and bringing it to the big-screen. AT LONG LAST. From Variety:

Johnny Ferraro, creator of the "American Gladiators" TV franchise, is bringing a live-action adaptation of the property to the bigscreen.

The film will be based on the TV show that first aired in 1988 and has been on the air every year except one during the past 20 years. Most recently, NBC aired a primetime installment in 2008. The show has aired in more than 90 countries, with the format adapted for the local market in 14 of them.

The thing is, American Gladiator is already just a family friendly version of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Running Man, right? Arnold Schwarzenegger's Walking Man. And sure, the prisoner-competition genre is as popular as ever with last summer's Death Race and this summer's Gamer (not to mention the tangential prisoner-hunt-on-private-island genre, with movies like Surviving the Game, and The The Condemned). But just because that style of movies is going strong doesn't mean that America is just as hungry for the escape-from-foam-lances-and-tennis-ball-cannons genre.

Hollywood: "Imagine an exhausting race through a completely safe pre-Apocalyptic battlefield of Nerf guns, shoulder pads, and bright blue pools of lukewarm water."

Gabe: "No."

Posted by Gabe at 9:30 AM in Bad Idea Jeans, What America Wants
Tags: American Gladiators

10 Comments

I've heard ABC is in talks to bring 'Wipeout' to the big screen as a buddy-action vehicle starring Ray Liotta and John Cena.

Posted by: blah at 05/12/09 9:39 AM | Reply
Score = 3

But if they can get Mickey Rourke to star and Darren Aronofsky to direct. . .

Posted by: booferama at 05/12/09 9:48 AM | Reply
Score = 3

"I'm just a broken down piece of Nitro."

Posted by: booferama  in reply to booferama's comment at 05/12/09 10:19 AM | Reply
Score = 12

I demand a big-screen adaptation on the classic Nickelodeon game show Finders Keepers!

Posted by: Josh is like Germany Ambitious and Misunderstood at 05/12/09 9:55 AM | Reply
Score = 2

"... has been on the air every year except one during the past 20 years."

How sad of a statement is this? It's so close to being "on air for 20 years," but sounds so much less respectable and commanding.

Posted by: Funtastik at 05/12/09 10:18 AM | Reply
Score = 9

If Two Scoops isn't in it, it won't be worth watching at all.

Posted by: HT at 05/12/09 10:22 AM | Reply
Score = 0

If Two Scoops isn't in it, it won't be worth watching at all.

Posted by: HT at 05/12/09 10:22 AM | Reply
Score = 1

If we say the same things over and over, it won't be worth commenting about at all.

Posted by: Allah  in reply to HT's comment at 05/12/09 11:17 AM | Reply
Score = 1

Sorry, guys.

In my defence, when I made that wish upon that star- you know-for someone to figure out how to adapt power ball for the big screen; I was drunk, joking, and pretty sure it was a sattelite...Who knew?

I banish myself to the gauntlet, never to return.

Posted by: Selena at 05/12/09 11:15 AM | Reply
Score = 6

No

Posted by: Zzyzx at 05/12/09 1:16 PM | Reply
Score = 1