Spaced

Started by Weak2ndAct, October 25, 2004, 05:45:05 PM

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MacGuffin

Fox housing British 'Spaced'
U.K. comedy being remade for U.S.
Source: Variety

Fox has locked its orbit on "Spaced," a U.K. comedy being retooled for American auds.

Net has given a put pilot order to the project, originally created by the "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" team of Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright (as well as Jessica Stevenson). "Will & Grace" alum Adam Barr is set to adapt the show for the U.S.

"Spaced" revolves around a young man and woman (played by Pegg and Stevenson in the U.K. version) who pose as a couple in order to rent a cheap apartment. They're soon surrounded by colorful neighbors and eventually begin a flirtation.

The single-camera comedy is particularly known in Britain for its frenzied use of pop culture references -- particularly when it comes to sci-fi, horror, comicbooks and videogames.

Wonderland Sound and Vision is behind the project, as well as Warner Bros. TV (where Wonderland is based) and Granada, which holds format rights. Wonderland TV prexy Peter Johnson first discovered the show while talking to someone at a comicbook store; as a "Shaun of the Dead" fan, he quickly looked to seal the rights.

Wonderland's McG and Granada's Robert Green will exec produce alongside Barr; the extent of Pegg's and Wright's involvement is still unclear. But Johnson likens the effort to NBC's adaptation of Ricky Gervais' and Stephen Merchant's "The Office" for the U.S., with Greg Daniels in charge.

"Spaced" has been nominated for a BAFTA and an Intl. Emmy Award, among other honors. Channel 4 aired seven episodes of season one in 1999 and another seven segs of a second season in 2001.

Barr's other credits include "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and "Desperate Housewives."
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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grand theft sparrow

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

modage

Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

grand theft sparrow

I ate crow over my initial response to news that they were developing The Office US and I hope the same thing happens here.  But it's the singular wit of the Pegg/Stevenson/Wright brain trust (who wrote and directed, respectively, every episode of the show), as well as a great supporting cast, that makes Spaced work.  Otherwise, you've got what I imagine this remake was pitched as: "a straight, slacker Will and Grace."

The closest I've seen a show come to the same vibe as Spaced is Scrubs, but that being said, even if Bill Lawrence was developing this, I'd be skeptical.  Hopeful but skeptical.  Now, that begs the question: "Is a carbon copy of the original show what they need to do?"  The fact that they're putting this in the hands of a Will & Grace staff writer makes me think they're focusing on the premise of the show more than anything else.  And the premise of the show is nothing special; it's really just a variation on Three's Company.  So yeah, a carbon copy HAS to be better than where it looks like they want to go with this.

I'll eat my shoe, Herzog-style be pleasantly surprised if this show turns out to be better than a Friends knock-off with Family Guy-esque references. 

Ravi

From Edgar Wright's MySpace blogs:

For the record...(UPDATE)

Click here for troubling news...

The above article features this interesting nugget...

"Wonderland's McG and Granada's Robert Green will exec produce alongside Barr; the extent of Pegg's and Wright's involvement is still unclear. But Johnson likens the effort to NBC's adaptation of Ricky Gervais' and Stephen Merchant's "The Office" for the U.S., with Greg Daniels in charge."

The interesting part of that is, no-one has been in touch with me at all. Haven't deigned to get in contact. So my involvement is indeed very unclear.

Would love to know what you all have to say about it.

P.S. I can confirm too, that Simon was never contacted either. I don't really want to get involved at all, but it infuriates me that they would a) never bother to get in touch but still b) splash me and Simon's names all over the trade announcements and infer that we're involved in the same way Ricky & Steve were with The Office.

Also, it's worth stressing that I will not be profiting from this reversion, nor do they have to get permission from me to make it.

On a brighter note, these articles on the subject are hilarious.

CHUD STORY!

Twitch Story

One more thing...

I'm calling for everyone to refer to the U.S. version of Spaced as "McSpaced" from now on.

I can't think of a better distillation of the whole idea.

MacGuffin

Meteoric rise to 'Spaced'
Aussie actor tapped for comedy pilot
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Three months ago, Australian actor Josh Lawson came to Los Angeles to take a shot at a Hollywood career.

Now he has scored a talent deal at Fox as well as his first U.S. role as the lead of the network's comedy pilot "Spaced."

Lawson was auditioning for small movie parts when he was spotted by Fox talent scouts who brought him in to meet with the network's head of casting Marcia Shulman.

Shulman called the meeting "my little 'American Idol' moment," saying she knew right away she had discovered a great new talent.

"He was really genuinely funny and understood comedy in a very classic way," Shulman said of Lawson, a graduate of Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art who lists Groucho Marx and Buster Keaton among his influences. "He is adorable but brilliantly and surprisingly funny. We all have been describing him as Matthew Perry meets Robin Williams."

Shulman and her team were putting the finishing touches on a talent deal with Lawson when Fox picked up the single-camera comedy pilot "Spaced."

Based on the British series of the same name, the project, produced by Warner Bros. TV, Wonderland and Granada America, revolves around two strangers who pose as a married couple in order to rent an apartment.

Shulman immediately sent the script to Lawson, who turned out to be a fan of the original series. The actor hit it off with the pilot's producers and landed the male lead.

Lawson, who honed his comedy skills with a 2004 fellowship that brought him to the U.S. to study at the Groundlings, Improv Olympic, Acme Improv and Second City, has been a rising star in Australia.

During the past year, he starred on the comedy "The Librarians" and two of Australia's most popular series, drama "Sea Patrol" and improv comedy "Thank God You're Here," which has been remade in a number of countries, including the U.S.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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MacGuffin

Simon Pegg Confirms Spaced Region One Release
New details emerge!

Ain't It Cool News recently conducted an interview with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz mastermind Simon Pegg in which Pegg confirmed the upcoming release of Spaced on region-one DVD. Pegg revealed that he, along with Edgar Wright and Jess Hynes nee Stevenson, recently recorded commentaries for the DVD release. The trio will be present at this year's San Diego Comic-Con to support Spaced's July 2008 landing to DVD shelves across North America.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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pete

Josh Lawson is very funny and a very good comic actor.  however, as someone who's hated the US Office since Season 2, I'm not rooting for anymore remakes.  though, I dunno, Fox tends to be funnier than the other networks.
"Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot."
- Buster Keaton

MacGuffin

Spaced duo savour sweet taste of success
Source: The Guardian

After Shaun of the Dead (zombies) and Hot Fuzz (cops), comes The World's End: the final installment in what Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright have called their three-flavour Cornetto trilogy. The working title can be revealed today, but what the genre might be is another question. Asked by the Guardian if it suggested a sci-fi/doomsday theme, Wright said: "It's kind of going in that direction."

Wright was speaking yesterday as a two-film deal with the UK's leading production company, Working Title Films, was announced in London. The deal will involve him making the comedy with Pegg, as well as a separate action thriller, currently called Baby Driver.

Pegg and Wright, who first teamed up on the Channel 4 sitcom Spaced, said the Cornetto theme was a tribute to Krzysztof Kieslowski and his Three Colours (blue, white and red) series of films. A strawberry Cornetto appeared in the pair's 2004 breakthrough film Shaun of the Dead, an original flavour in Hot Fuzz and for the final film it will, somehow, be mint choc chip. "We're still waiting for the box of Cornettos to be sent to us," said Wright.

Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz were phenomenal successes and laid a path to Hollywood for the pair. Wright, 33, is working on two films in the US: Scott Pilgrim vs The World and an adaptation of the Marvel comic book character Ant-Man. Pegg, meanwhile, has been playing Scotty in the forthcoming Star Trek film
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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cron

a friend's girlfriend gave me one of those pins that say McSpaced with a Red Diagonal.  It was nerdy, yet sweet.  I put it in my schoolbag.
context, context, context.

MacGuffin

Spaced Crosses the Pond
Complete series hits U.S. DVD.

This July, the clever and edgy comedy series that started it all for the award-winning team behind Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Spaced will be available for the first time in North America in a new collector's DVD set from BBC Video. From creator-stars Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes, this 3-disc set features all 14 surreal episodes of the award-winning show, described by Pegg as "a cross between The Simpsons, The X-Files and Northern Exposure." Spaced: The Complete Series will arrive in stores on July 22, 2008 for suggested retail price of $49.98.

Boasting over eight hours of content, Spaced: The Complete Series features bonus material including the all-new commentary from Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Matt Stone, Bill Hader, Patton Oswalt and Diablo Cody.

Bonus Features include:

New exclusive commentary with director Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes (nee Stevenson) and guests Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Bill Hader, Matt Stone, Patton Oswalt and Diablo Cody.
Exclusive Spaced On Stage reunion Q&A recorded at the National Film Theatre, London in October 2007.
"Skip to the End" - Exclusive feature length documentary
"Spaced Jam" by Osymyso
Outtakes
Trailers
Deleted scenes
Raw footage
Photo gallery
Homage-O-Meter - An onscreen feature that tracks each pop-culture reference
Newly updated cast and crew biographies
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

w/o horse

I'll be here:

Spaced: Invasion USA - A Conversation with Edgar Wright
Talks, Chats, and Conversations
(120 mins)
Before he was infesting London with blood-crazed zombies in Shaun of the Dead, before he shot up sleepy English villages in Hot Fuzz, director Edgar Wright, along with writer/stars Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes, brought UK audiences Spaced.  In only 14 episodes, the show became one of British television's most enduring cult hits, winning fans internationally including JJ Abrams, Judd Apatow, Kevin Smith, and Quentin Tarantino. Now Spaced is finally (finally) coming to DVD in the U.S. on July 22. Join us to celebrate the launch with a screening of two complete Spaced episodes, some great clips, and a conversation with director Edgar Wright, moderated by South Park's Matt Stone.

Tuesday, June 24th 10:00pm
The Regent
Raven haired Linda and her school mate Linnea are studying after school, when their desires take over and they kiss and strip off their clothes. They take turns fingering and licking one another's trimmed pussies on the desks, then fuck each other to intense orgasms with colorful vibrators.

diggler

^ that sounds awesome! please post details of the Q & A
I'm not racist, I'm just slutty

w/o horse

Has it already been said that the US Spaced isn't coming?  Because that's what Edgar Wright was saying.  Other things:

- There is a completed Ant-Man script
- Don't expect Spaced to return in a third season.  Everyone has grown from who they were when the show was made.  Time has passed.
- Impressively, Spaced was shot a season at a time.  As in all seven episodes of each season would be shot consecutively and for example like in a movie all scenes taking place inside Tim and Daisy's apartment would be shot together.  This sometimes melted Wright's brain.
- The three episodes Wright chose to show were Art, Epiphanies, and Gone.
Raven haired Linda and her school mate Linnea are studying after school, when their desires take over and they kiss and strip off their clothes. They take turns fingering and licking one another's trimmed pussies on the desks, then fuck each other to intense orgasms with colorful vibrators.

MacGuffin

Spaced DVD Commentaries Updated

Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes, co-creators of the cult British television series Spaced, said that they and director Edgar Wright recorded new commentaries for every episode of the series for the new American DVD release.

"There's 14 new commentaries on top of the original 14," Wright said in a joint interview at Comic-Con International in San Diego over the weekend. "So 28 commentaries in total. And we did commentaries with some of our various geeky celebrity fans. Basically, it was sort of like a geek nexus of me, Simon, Jess, Quentin Tarantino, Matt Stone, Kevin Smith, Patton Oswalt [and] Bill Hader."

The 1999 show--ostensibly about twentysomething slackers living together in London--features homages to dozens of science fiction, fantasy, horror and action films. Pegg said that commenting on the show alongside the artists that influenced them made for some surreal moments during the recording sessions.

"A lot of it was nice, because they were people that had inspired us in the first place, particularly in the instance of Quentin and Kevin Smith," Pegg said. "To do commentary on the scene with the Pulp Fiction reference we do in episode one, [season] two, and having Quentin in the commentary booth was quite bizarre. It was a moment of circularity that I think anyone rarely experiences. And it was great. I mean, Kevin Smith just wanted to talk about other things, didn't he?"

Hynes added that Smith's commentary often turned to off-topic subjects such as breast feeding, but she said the detours made for an interesting conversation.

"We chatted about lots of different things," Hynes said. "That's the thing about doing a DVD commentary, because actually sometimes when you go off completely tangentially, it becomes a lot more interesting, because you get the kind of strange ramblings. And, actually, sometimes when you get too literal, it can be boring." Spaced is now available on DVD in the United States.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks