Late footballing genius George Best once observed, I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered. Well, in an era and an industry in which one can be paid so much for so little its almost impossible to spend all the money, the party never really stops. Or, at least, this is how it seems to be for
Charlie Sheen, who at times is reputed to have sustained the economies of several small South American countries and is listed among the hobbies of several leading porn stars. But years before Sheen was paid over a million dollars a week for playing a family friendly version of himself in the TV series Two and a Half Men, he was a charismatic and versatile actor on the big screen in films like Platoon, Wall Street and
Major League. And it is the latter baseball comedy that Sheen assured
TMZ this week would receive a belated and long deserved final chapter. Following the success of Major League- a satire of the baseball industry and associated clichés- (basically the film follows the owner of the Cleveland Indians who fields the worst team she can to make sure they finish bottom of the table so the team can move to Florida - but the ragtag group of no-hopers band together in an attempt to finish first!) - its writer and director
David S Ward (King Ralph) produced two sequels with passable artistic and commercial results, though had only a peripheral role in a third film- Major League: Return to the Minors- which was widely derided and regarded by neither he nor Sheen as real sequel. Although Ward spoke about having written a script for
Major League III (technically the fourth film, though Sheen wants to re-write history) in August last year, this is the first time Sheen has enthused publically about the project in which his character, Ricky Wild Thing Vaughan comes out of retirement to mentor a young, up and coming star. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWSfwgXCiXA As of yet, the studio for the original films in the franchise, Warner Bros, have yet to comment, although theres no doubt that Major League III would represent a massive gamble. Although Ward is a much neglected comedy script-writer and Sheen has worldwide appeal, at a time when promotion costs as much as production, to rely upon an actor that has had to go into rehab four times in the last twelve months may be seen as folly to anyone who would dare commission it. Theres little doubt that Sheens talent belongs in movies, however, and if recent remarks are anything to go by, he is more than tired of playing himself, no matter how much he is paid.