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Thursday July 16, 2009 12:54 am

Remake News: Hong Kong Phooey, The Smurfs and More


Hong Kong Phooey: There’s nothing audiences love more than talking dogs, so why not have them fight crime as well? Alex Zamm (Inspector Gadget 2) has been tapped to direct a live-action/animated version of the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon. In the original TV program, Scatman Crothers voiced the kung fu fighting title character. When Hong Kong Phooey wasn’t cleaning up a police station as a janitor, he was fighting crime on the streets. The series first debuted in 1974.

The Karate Kid: What had been rumored is now official: Jackie Chan is updating the Mr. Miyagi character for the remake. The action star will play mentor to Jaden Smith, Will’s son, in the Columbia Pictures production. Filming began over the weekend in Beijing and should last about three months.

The Smurfs: Rebecca Romijn won’t be the last hot blue female we see in theaters. Come next year, Smurfette and the rest of the blue clan will be featured in 2D and 3D adaptations of The Smurfs. The movie, which will combine live-action and animation, will be directed by Raja Gosnell of Scooby Doo and Beverly Hills Chihuahua fame. The project is slated to debut on December 17, 2010.

Baywatch: Yes, we know the lifeguard series was laughable…but would you actually pay to laugh at it? Paramount Pictures hopes so. The studio has hired Jeremy Garelick, who recently did an uncredited work on The Hangover‘s script, to rewrite a big screen version. The idea is to make Baywatch a broad comedy. “[The original script] felt like the template to do a movie that was similar to Stripes and Police Academy, the comedies I loved growing up,” Garelick said. Jeremy will also direct the film.

T.J. Hooker: Could this be another remake William Shatner has no part in? First J.J Abrams retools Star Trek. Now there are now plans make an action comedy feature out of the ABC cop drama. “The series was the poster child for cop TV shows in the 1980s with great stunts, so we think there’s a fun movie to be made from it,” co-producer Ryan Heppe said. T.J. Hooker, which debuted in 1982, featured Shatner as a patrol sergeant. Adrian Zmed starred as his partner while Heather Locklear played a fellow officer. No stars have yet been announced for the update.

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