Vacation: 10 Ill-Advised Comedy Movie Comebacks
6. Dad's Army
It ended production in 1977, but the bumbling adventures of the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard still play a big part on the BBC schedule on Saturday night. These aren't just characters who show up on DVD shelves and retrospective documentaries. They have the country rolling on the floor week on week, and in many ways it's like they never left. The cast were made up of a raft of elderly heavyweights, led by the chalk 'n cheese double header of Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier.
Looking at the cast for the upcoming 2016 movie, you can see that director Oliver Parker is taking his responsibilities seriously. Toby Jones, Bill Nighy, Michael Gambon and Tom Courtenay are just some of the stellar names hoping to breathe fresh life into the comic franchise. This is clearly seen as more than just another sitcom adaptation.
The question is, after all that effort, will it be worth it? It's a winning format but one that's been owned by other people for decades. The in-demand principals probably won't be clamouring to make lots of instalments, and even if they did the schedule-juggling would be a nightmare. Trying to replace the Rolls Royce of TV comedy for the sake of a film or two? Doesn't sound good to me.