It looks like King Of Kong may be getting a remake as a narrative feature film starring Greg Kinnear. We get the scoop thanks to our friends at movieweb:
New Line is currently in the process of putting together a narrative film based on the documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. According to our friend Frosty over at Collider, producer Ed Cunningham wants Greg Kinnear to play the part of protagonist Steve Wiebe.
Cunningham stated, “You know it’s funny, we’ve been all over the board. One of the things that really endeared us to New Line is and Richard Brenner in particular was…it’s very easy to say, ‘oh, big comedy have people kicking each other in the nuts.’ But that’s not his vision at all and it’s not ours. We don’t want this thing spoofed, you know. South Park already did it and that’s okay, but we don’t want to make a spoof of this. And so the idea is that it will be dramatic actors – guys who have range, guys that can figure it out. We’ve thrown around names but nothing that has stuck.
I was surprised to see this news. I finally saw King Of Kong and absolutely loved it. It is a documentary that you must go out and buy – now! It was a very touching story about one man’s quest for greatness and the arena of professional video gaming in which he competes. Few films have caused me to cheer for the underdog quite like this one, it was a pleasure to watch and a glorious moment in history forever captured on film.
I am certainly skeptical about a re-envisioning of this film. I don’t want to see the story retold, cleaned up and dramatized. I loved the realness of the documentary and this is one of the reasons why the story is so endearing. It seems like the producer means well and wants to do justice to the tale; and I respect him for that. I cannot deny that this is a great story and could be the base for a quality feature film. Greg Kinnear would also be a decent casting, but part of me just screams “leave well enough alone!”
Campea brought up a solid point that this could potentially introduce the story to a much wider audience, and this is true. I am just concerned that if people see the remake before the original – it will take away some of the surprise and magic from the documentary. I want people to enjoy the film as it is, because it is great. I can appreciate a different retelling of the story, and although no word has yet been released on when this project will start; I think talk about a remake when the DVD has not yet hit the shelves is a little soon.
So there you have it, I am going to be a puritan on this one and say that I personally do not like the idea of a Hollywood remake.
International friends – what are your thoughts?
