(Left) David Boreanaz in ‘Bones’. Photo: 20th Century Fox Television. (Right) James Garner in ‘The Rockford Files’. Photo: Universal Television.
Preview:
David Boreanaz will star in a pilot for a new ‘Rockford Files’ series.
James Garner originated the role of private eye Jim Rockford.
NBC has high hopes for the new pilot.
As the saying goes, everything old is new again. And in this case, it goes double.
While TV networks had largely abandoned the pilot process, NBC is among those bringing it back on a more limited basis, with one of the biggest around being a new take on private eye drama ‘The Rockford Files’, which starred James Garner in the 1970s.
James Garner in ‘The Rockford Files’. Photo: Universal Television.
The original series saw Garner as a witty, world-weary private eye, and from the sounds of it, writer Mike Daniels is keeping largely to the format.
In the modern show, newly paroled after doing time for a crime he didn’t commit, James Rockford (Boreanaz) returns to his life as a private investigator using his charm and wit to solve cases around Los Angeles, with his charmingly gruff exterior masking a strong moral core.
It doesn’t take long for his quest for legitimacy to land him squarely in the crosshairs of both local police and organized crime.
Does Boreanaz have the Garner family seal of approval?
(L to R) David Boreanaz and Sarah Michelle Gellar in ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’. Photo: 20th Century Fox Television.
Indeed he does! James Garner’s daughter Gigi gave the actor a glowing social media endorsement after Boreanaz called her to ask if her late father would approve him taking on the role…
So, I recently got a call from David Boreanaz.
He was kind enough to share that he was offered the series & thinking about it. He wanted to know how I felt about the reboot, etc…
If anybody can do it, HE CAN!
I’m 💯 on board! It is going to be great! #PureClass#Jimbohttps://t.co/yGvgsGPuTB
Hollywood likes high-stakes stories, so making a movie about a US President immediately fits that bill. We’ve put together a list of eight great movie Presidents that have done everything from balancing budgets to stopping alien invasions. And just by way of comparison, we’ve thrown in one president that maybe wasn’t so great. All of these movies are currently streaming, so pick your favorite movie President and give yourself an Executive Order to watch their movie.
Dave Kovic: Dave (1993)
Kevin Kline in ‘Dave’
“Hail to the Chief, he’s the one we all say hail to.” It’s no wonder Dave (Kevin Kline) is singing, since being a dead ringer for the sitting President is a pretty good side gig–especially when the President’s staff approaches you to work for the White House directly. But when the President suffers a stroke, Dave takes over the Oval Office and all the responsibilities that come with it–including being the husband of a very angry wife (Sigourney Weaver). Dave is charming, warm, and totally un-Presidential, so it’s no surprise that everyone ends up loving him.
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Thomas Whitmore: Independence Day (1996)
Bill Pullman in ‘Independence Day’
Bill Pullman is the Prez in charge when the world gets invaded by pushy aliens who have a fondness for blowing up landmarks and people holding signs of welcome. He’s more of a rough-and-tumble guy, and even withstands a psychic attack from the aliens in Area 51. But once he knows their plan, he helps mobilize forces against them, and gives an unforgettable speech that is even more badass than how he hops into a fighter jet of his own right after wrapping it up.
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James Marshall: Air Force One (1997)
Harrison Ford in ‘Air Force One’
Harrison Ford, at a fancy dinner in Moscow, declares that the United States will not negotiate with terrorists, and that the capture of Russia’s dictator Ivan Radek (Gary Oldman) was just. That’s all it takes for Radek to enact his dastardly plan for his team to take over the President’s plane with himself, his staff, and his family still on it. As a Medal of Honor winner and veteran, Marshall is not one to back down from a fight. And even though the space on a plane is limited, somehow this movie manages to be a riveting cat and mouse game, with Marshall (and the writers of the screenplay) delivering one-liners that land with…well, the force of an explosion on Air Force One (too soon?).
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Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho: Idiocracy (2006)
Terry Crews in ‘Idiocracy’
Say what you will about President Camacho’s intellect, but man, can that guy wear a puffy red white and blue blouse. Terry Crews plays this President leading a troubled, dumb-as-rocks United States as they face a critical food shortage in 2505. Bleak times don’t stop Camacho from wowing the crowd with a State of the Union address, though, that we secretly hope is how they go down in 484 years. Or next year. Whatever.
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Mays Gilliam: Head of State (2003)
Chris Rock in ‘Head of State’
Plenty of people can get behind the idea of comedic genius Chris Rock being President–especially in the form of Mays Gilliam, a Washington D.C. alderman who turns hero and Democratic nominee for the highest office in the United States. Of course initially, the Dems thought they had already lost the race and chose Gilliam as a token candidate, but as soon as he starts spouting truths that the people want to hear, his campaign picks up steam, and audiences are left with rousing speeches yelling “That ain’t right!” on their couches.
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James Sawyer: White House Down (2013)
Jamie Foxx in ‘White House Down’
In the second Roland Emmerich-directed film on the list (the German fellow has a real thing for American patriotism), Jamie Foxx plays the President that terrorists are actively hunting within the White House walls. Only one man stands between them: the guy from Magic Mike (Channing Tatum). But Sawyer is no shrinking violet: he can scale elevator shafts, handle a rocket launcher, and keep any bad guy’s hands off his Jordans.
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Matt Douglas & Russell Kramer: My Fellow Americans (1996)
James Garner and Jack Lemmon in ‘My Fellow Americans’
Two, two, two Presidents in one! Kramer (Jack Lemmon) and Douglas (James Garner) have a long-standing history of duking it out for the Presidency. As they seem to be entering the twilight of their lives, spending time writing books and doing pointless speaking engagements, Kramer is asked to investigate a series of bribes under code name “Olympia” as a favor. Well, no good deed goes unpunished. The plot keeps thickening and thickening, drawing in Douglas, and threatening both of their lives. The banter is off the charts in this one, as is the convoluted plot that has a surprising ending.
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Richard Nixon: Dick (1999)
Dan Hedaya in ‘Dick’
This film explores how Woodward (Will Ferrell) and Bernstein (Bruce McCulloch) “really” got all their inside information during the Watergate Scandal from two teens named Betsy (Kirsten Dunst) and Arlene (Michelle Williams). Every noteworthy event during that period of time in the administration, including Vietnam peace protests and the Nixon-Breznhev accord, were accidentally masterminded by these two girls who just liked walking the President’s dog and accidentally baked marijuana into their cookies. Dan Hedaya plays a great Richard Nixon, but the movie is much more about the two teens that bring him down in the name of what’s right. Since he was known as “Tricky Dick,” we stand by our choice.
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“Maverick” may not be the most critically acclaimed Western released in the ’90s, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more enjoyable trip back to the Wild West and the days of rascals, card sharks and lawmen. Celebrate the 25th anniversary of this it Western by learning some fun facts about the making of “Maverick.”
1. “Maverick” is an adaptation of the 1957-1962 TV series of the same name, which starred James Garner as Bret Maverick.
Warner Bros.
2. Garner played a very different role in this remake as Marshal Zane Cooper. The name is an homage to influential Western writer Zane Grey and actor Gary Cooper.
3. The film includes cameo appearances from many popular country music singers, including Reba McEntire, Waylon Jennings, Hal Ketchum, Carlene Carter and Vince Gill.
Warner Bros.
4.Paul Newman was originally offered the role of Bret Maverick, but ultimately turned it down when the producers failed to meet his salary requirements.
5. The steamboat is named “Lauren Belle” in tribute to director Richard Donner‘s wife, producer Lauren Shuler Donner. She also has a cameo in the film as “Mrs. D,” one of the maids in the bath house.
6. The ship used for the Lauren Belle was a fully functional stern-wheel tugboat borrowed from the Oregon Maritime Museum.
8. Annabelle’s clumsiness wasn’t actually written in the original screenplay. Donner was inspired to add that element to the character after Jodie Foster fell out of a stagecoach when co-star Mel Gibson failed to help her down.
Warner Bros.
9. “Maverick” includes numerous callbacks to the “Lethal Weapon” series, including Danny Glover‘s cameo appearance and the scene where Mel Gibson’s character discovers his shirt has shrunk in the wash.
10. The film includes a deleted sequence where Maverick attempts to demonstrate his supposedly magical card-playing abilities to a hermit played by Linda Hunt. Donner opted to cut this material because he felt it didn’t mesh with the rest of the film.
Warner Bros.
11. Another deleted scene features musician Alice Cooper in a cameo role as the town drunk. Rock on!
