Seems Matt Helm may be coming back after all. As old pulp characters are now the hottest properties in Hollywood, it makes sense to dust off the old spies as well. Heck, I think Austin Powers had already proved Matt Helm is a viable character these days.
Bu tanyway, it seems that Spielberg (who wanted to do the return of Matt Helm) is now off on a Harvey remake hunt, and so rumor has it that Venom-connected Gary Ross will helm Helm.
I am just curious who has enough swing these days to fill Dean Martin pants? That’s a tall order. Maybe George Clooney. But otherwise, I am drawing a blank. Who has that kind of demented charm and drunken swagger?
Then again, if they don’t find a super star to overpower the film, perhaps they could actually produce real Matt Helm movies with real characters and try to follow the plot of the real books. The problem with the Dean Martin-effect is that the Matt Helm movies were nothing but Dean-o-ramas of fun and debauchery. They had very little to do with the Matt Helm superspy character. They were basically spoofs of themselves which is why Austin Powers is so dead-on authentic in its delivery.
They should think Bourne Identity instead of the New Dino, Jr., and they might just produce something of value.
Because, if we are honest, the below poster is closer to Will Ferrell than Matt Damon. That’s a very bad thing.
So, to use punny, innuendo-laden Powers-speak worthy of the Dean Martin Helm films, they need to go hard, dive deep, and stay long in the action genre to make Matt Helm viable and relevant today. Otherwise, just let the creative shitstain behind the vomitous remake of Land of the Lost take over and call it a spoof of a day.