hapgilmore

'Vacation' sequel booked at New Line

The Warner Bros. division is developing a sequel of sorts to the 1983 comedy classic, with David Dobkin attached to produce and possibly direct.

New Line is meeting with writers to pen the script, but the take is already developed: The story focuses on Rusty Griswold, the son of Clark Griswold, the protagonist of the initial movies and portrayed by Chevy Chase. Rusty, now a father himself, takes his family on a road trip vacation.

The characters would acknowledge that first trip, making the movie more of a sequel than a reboot. Chase and Beverly D’Angelo, who played the mom in the original movies, will have room to make appearances as grandparents, providing a sense of continuity, though no deals are in place.

The original “Vacation” is a Warner Bros. property, but as soon as New Line became part of the studio, exec Sam Brown began sifting through the parent company’s titles to see what was available in terms of rights. He eventually found “Vacation,” a movie he said he has watched more than any other in his life, and brought it to New Line president Toby Emmerich and production president Richard Brener, who jumped at the opportunity. The duo asked Warners brass if it had any plans with the title. It did not, and the New Line execs persuaded them to let them take a crack at it. Brown is shepherding for New Line.

National Lampoon is not involved at this stage, as Warners controls the characters and the title.

New Line is taking meetings with writers this week, hoping to make a movie that skews more toward “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” or “Little Miss Sunshine” than “RV” or “Are We There Yet?”

“Vacation” brings CAA-repped Dobkin back in business with New Line, for whom he directed and produced “Wedding Crashers.”

http://www.heatvisionblog.com/2009/1...-new-line.html

Let me make myself very clear here...if Chevy Chase is NOT the star, then this should not be made. A vacation movie without Chase starring would be like a new Austin Powers without Mike Myers: pointless.

Groucho

hapgilmore

^ Perhaps I should have clarified and said a "theatrical" sequel.

My Other Self

I used to run the only Vacation website that was on the internet, so I was able to make contacts and I've talked to a lot of people involved with the series as a whole. Given the first one is probably my #1 comedy of all-time, the series means a lot to me. This.. has disaster written all over it.

I really hope this doesn't come to fruition, and it may not since there's two other films that never got off the ground. In 1987 there was plans for a Griswolds Meet 'Crocodile' Dundee film after Dundee blew up at the theaters. It was fast-tracked, but never made it past the first draft. It was interesting.. this was meant to rejuvinate the series since European Vacation wasn't as profitable as the first one. That fizzled out though since Warner Bros. and Paramount couldn't come to terms since each owned their respectful characters, and that was that.

Then, before 'Christmas Vacation 2', there was plans for another film - this time to take place in Hollywood, after Vegas Vacation found a niche status on video. Chevy himself confirmed this on Oprah sometimes around 2000 or so. Something happened (I personally don't know what exactly), and that idea was kiboshed. So we wound up with Christmas Vacation 2, and the series was supposedly done.

If they were smart, and felt a need to make a sequel like this, they would still have Chevy star and have him as the grandfather in the same sense of role. You wouldn't give the film to Rusty. This is just stupid.

I knew Hollywood ran out of ideas, but come on.

devilshalo

The Misadventures of Mr. Papageorgio!

Kevin M. Dean

Maybe they should have Chevy Chase have a vacation with Anthony Michael Hall back as Rusty with his family.

Groucho

Travelocity?

Numanoid

Yeah, the only way I see this working is with the entire original cast back in their roles. Even then...

Decker

How about Neil Patrick Harris as Rusty, with a prominent Chevy Chase role? It's time he got a feature film lead, don't you think? It could be scheduled as a summer hiatus movie with a lot of good TV actors in big roles, the way I Love You Man was. It could work, if it had a good enough script.

jeffkjoe

They need a young guy who can be bumbling....a master of slapstick.

I can see Neil Patrick Harris.

Drexl

I love the NPH suggestion.

JimRochester

Can they get Cobie Smulders to do a nude shower scene?

It's funny, I remember seeing Vacation in the theaters with my then girlfriend, now wife, and although we liked it, it didn't do well at the box office. The advent of home theater and video hit at the right time because this was one of the first titles to really hit on VHS.

I like the series but I see this as being somewhere between Europe and Christmas 2 in terms of quality.

reverie

I don't see any problems with this.

Michael Corvin

After reading the first post I was ready to post how terrible of an idea this was until I read this:

This would totally work.

Dr. DVD

NPH as Rusty would have me interested, but not enough to buy a ticket. I feel this franchise has run its course and I fear the finished product would wind up looking more like "Couples Retreat" (which I haven't seen, and have no plans of doing) as opposed to the first Vacation.


Interesting, I didn't know the first one wasn't a theatrical success. I seem to remember Christmas not being that big a hit as well, but video brought them both to prominence.

d2cheer

Vacation was a hit the summer it came out. Someone else can look up actual box-office; hence the sequels, back then sequels were not made for movies that "didn't do well" or made money on video. The movie needed to perform in the theater in order for a sequel to be made.

JimRochester

I don't know the numbers and didn't mean to infer it was a bomb at the box office. This is going from memory of the time and from what I read. It was a modest success but nowhere near a blockbuster. It was so modest that people were surprised when the sequel was announced because of the thought, only big smash hits get sequels. What made it so successful was the life it gained on the video shelves. It was one of the first big sellers. Europe was very disappointing both in quality and box office thereby surprising people even more when the 3rd in the series was announced.

My point was this was a case where a modest movie that would have been relegated to distant memory in years past became one of the first huge hits financially thanks to the burgeoning video market.

hapgilmore

According to boxofficemojo, it made 61 million domestically. For 1983, that is a pretty huge success (i'm pretty sure that would be over 100 million in today's dollars).

Indy Jones Fan

Taken from Box Office Mojo for 1983:

1 Return of the Jedi Fox $252,583,617
2 Terms of Endearment Par. $108,423,489
3 Flashdance Par. $92,921,203
4 Trading Places Par. $90,404,800
5 WarGames MGM $79,567,667
6 Octopussy MGM $67,893,619
7 Sudden Impact WB $67,642,693
8 Staying Alive Par. $64,892,670
9 Mr. Mom Fox $64,783,827
10 Risky Business WB $63,541,777
11 National Lampoon's Vacation WB $61,399,552
12 Superman III WB $59,950,623
13 The Big Chill Col. $56,342,711

Numanoid

Man, I remember seeing 6 or 7 of those movies in the theater. Those were the days.

And how the fuck did Staying Alive make more than Vacation and Risky Business?! I remember it being roundly panned at the time.

Groucho

Terms of Endearment?!

The Infidel

How about this idea?

"National Lampoon's Reunion Vacation" (obviously not a set-in-stone title, but it incorporates the following premise and the obligatory "Vacation")

The Original Cast: Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall and Dana Barron.

Clark plans a family reunion for himself and Ellen, and Rusty and Audrey, who now have families of their own in different parts of the country. I'm imagining Rusty with a wife and teenage son, and Audrey with a husband and two small children. The plan on a central vacation spot to all get together, and each group sets off. As Clark's misadventures start, the scene changes to Rusty who we find is having misadventures of his own, but unique to his family, showing that years growing up with Clark affected his dealing with his own situations more than he might like. Likewise, we see Audrey dealing with her husband and kids parallels her mother. What makes this premise with Rusty and Audrey work is that they set up early in the movie the claim that they are nothing like their parents. The scenes go back and forth between all three groups as they make their way toward the Final Destination (a pun that might work in the movie). All three groups finally make it except for Clark, who has gotten separated from Ellen somehow, and he finally shows up at the last minute, probably dirty and disheveled, on a moped or something.

I'm torn as to whether to throw Eddie into this or not. If so, maybe he can call Clark from a phone booth somewhere (I'm seeing Clark still struggling after all these years with using a cell phone), and Clark has to pick him up on the way to where they were meeting the kids. Maybe Eddie can have something to do with why Clark got separated.

Details can be filled in. That's just a basic premise.

Barrybgb

As a HUGE Vacation fan, this is disappointing. With Chevy back in the spotlight with "Community" and getting good reviews, you'd think they'd be more interested in going with Chevy.

Me and my dad thought of a sequel, and it was similar to this, and to others I've heard other fans say on the net. I have no problem with Rusty being grown up with kids and all, Audrey too, and that was my idea. Rusty and Audrey are hardworking parents who don't seem to have the time for their kids, and Clark feels like he isn't close enough to his grandkids. You know how Clark is big on family, so he decides to take the grandkids on a vacation to Wally World, which has just announced it's closing it's doors. Obviously, these grandkids are very modern kids with all the stuff they have today, and Clark just can't seem to relate to them. But off they go(after getting a new car or van from a new mega car lot with EUGENE LEVY!!!). As a surprise, Rusty and Audrey meet Clark and the fam at the end, with Ellen having planned it, and the Griswolds are a family spending the day at Wally World one last time. As for Cousin Eddie?. Clark and co. come across a broken down RV on the side of the road having engine trouble....who could it be?. "Well this is a surprise Clark, a real big surprise!."

If the person responsible for doing this is a fan like they say, then they should know that Chevy is the movie. Christmas Vacation 2, anyone?.

Speaking of, Christmas Vacation did $71 million in 1989.

Dr Mabuse

No wonder he's skipping out on $10,000 hotel bills and getting arrested for it. He must be broke.

hapgilmore

I don't like the idea of Rusty and Audrey being grown up. They are supposed to hover around being teenagers in these movies and never grow up.