The gritty, Logan-style Pee-wee Herman movie the world has demanded may be on its way.
Paul Reubens has been "aggressively shopping" a script for a new Pee-wee film in which the beloved character "gets sent to a mental hospital for shock treatment for his alcoholism," according to The Hollywood Reporter, which feels the need to clarify that this news is "no joke."
Apparently, a draft of this script was first written in the late 1990s, and when Reubens brought Pee-wee back for 2016's Pee-wee's Big Holiday, he and producer Judd Apatow didn't see "eye-to-eye" on it. Reubens, after all, was more interested in making what he calls his "dark Pee-wee movie," which would reportedly rely extensively on de-aging technology like The Irishman.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In the script, the Reporter writes, "Pee-wee emerges from prison to become an unlikely yodeling star; then moves to Hollywood and becomes a movie star; then he develops a severe pill and alcohol addiction that turns him into a monster."
"I've referred to it as the Valley of the Dolls Pee-wee movie," Reubens said, at which point the Reporter once again chimed in to note that he's being "dead serious" here.
Neither Apatow nor Netflix apparently want to make the movie, but there's some interest out there; the Safdie brothers, who directed Uncut Gems, are reportedly considering it. After films like Joker and Logan earned Oscar nominations, could the dark Pee-wee movie be next? With the Safdie brothers eying the project, Reubens may very well have his sights on the Academy Awards while telling himself, "This is how I win."
-
Can Soho House get its edge back?Talking Point The private members' club has lost its exclusive appeal – but a £2 billion buy-out could offer a fresh start
-
The week's best photosIn Pictures A human pyramid, a church on wheels, and more
-
The Week Unwrapped: Is it time for a new world map?Podcast Plus, why is the pope getting flatmates? And why are seagull 'muggings' on the rise?
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster showSpeed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
