MacGyver Film In the Works?

An anonymous reader writes "Looks like everyone's favorite Swiss Army knife-wielding action hero may be making an appearance on the big screen. The original series creator has announced plans are in the works for a MacGyver film. Serious questions abound: Will Richard Dean Anderson reprise the role? Will filming and editing somehow be done only using a paperclip, duct-tape, and TV remote?" And who, if not Anderson, would you want to play MacGyver?

Duh!

And who, if not Anderson, would you want to play MacGyver?

Me!

(You insensitive clod.)

Re:Duh!

And who, if not Anderson, would you want to play MacGyver?

Me!

  (You insensitive clod.)

You are aware that the role calls for a mullet, no? It's all in the mullet. You can't be MacGyver without it.

Re:Duh!

So yes choosing somebody from the Slashdot crowd would be appropriate.

Well, with the difference being that MacGyver was knowledgeable and intelligent. The typical Slashdotter only thinks they're knowledgeable and intelligent.

Re:Duh!

The typical Slashdotter only thinks they're knowledgeable and intelligent.

Looking at the list of "MacGyverisms" [concentric.net],
he was often just as misguided.

I often wished some of his trickery would backfire uproariously. A self-spoof once in awhile can be fun. With the added excitement that there's no foregone conclusion that the trick will work.

Re:Duh!

So yes choosing somebody from the Slashdot crowd would be appropriate.

Well, with the difference being that MacGyver was knowledgeable and intelligent. The typical Slashdotter only thinks they're knowledgeable and intelligent.

I would have modded you "Insightful" - but then I realized that (being a "typical Slashdotter") you are referring to me as well - and I know I think I'm knowledgeable and intelligent!!! ;-)

Re:Duh!

It's ironic. As of this point in space-time the GP does have an Insightful moderation. It is also ironic that I very often get Insightful ratings (and appropriately IMHO) even though I don't (and never did) consider myself (very) knowledgeable and intelligent. It's a matter of degree.

I have always found that there is so much to know (on any one topic, much less IT itself which is a HUGE matter which most amateurs and 'civilians' take for granted). I have for example spent lots of time and money formally studying 'IT' and everyday I am still learning something knew. I don't consider myself an expert and will never claim to be (on Slashdot or on my resumes). Claiming to be "knowledgeable and intelligent" is (to me) arrogance. As I've stated, it is a matter of degree and perspective.

Re:Duh!

The typical Slashdotter only thinks they're knowledgeable and intelligent.

But... but......but I have Excellent Karma!?!

Re:Duh!

Not his choice, really. According to Screen Actors' Guild rules, he can't use the exact same name as another actor, and Richard Anderson (who played Oscar Goldman on The Six Million Dollar Man) got there first.

Alternate Cast

Rename the movie to MacGyver Brothers, and performed by Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage. Would love to see the extra-dvd content where they show how and where the movie they just acted was wrong.

Re:Alternate Cast

moderratorrater wrote:

According to the legends, everything on MacGuyver could have been done, so why not have them show how it was right? In fact, have [Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage] make a mythbusters proving/disproving the movie anyway; it'll be a big boost to publicity for both shows.

The Mythbusters have already done a MacGyver episode [discovery.com]. Several of the myths were busted, though many of them did have an element of truth to them, they could not be performed nearly so bare bones as Mac did.

~Rebecca

Whatever they decide

I hope they don't try to update the MacGuyver idea for the 21st century.
Keep that 80's feel, with the big hair and aviator glasses.

Re:Whatever they decide

Dude, those are coming back, I just know it ...

Re:Whatever they decide

Dude, those are coming back, I just know it ...

I suppose anything's possible. I mean, chicks like those bug-eyed clown sunglasses now*, so mullets and aviator shades could always make a comeback.

* Who knows, maybe those actually are somehow cool, and I'm just getting old :P

Re:Whatever they decide

Mullets and aviator shades could always make a comeback
Mullets can't make a comeback since they never went out of style to begin with.

MacGyver in 21st century tech wouldn't work anyhow

They need to keep it 80's because MacGyver with 21st century tech wouldn't work anyway. I think the 80's was probably about the only decade when a concept like MacGyver would work, for the following reasons:

Things just aren't simple enough or accessible enough anymore. Think about the 80's... things were starting to get really high tech, PCs had just been invented, etc, but all that was still in the early stages. It was easy for Mac to hotwire or jury-rig a car, mess with a computer, oscilloscope or some other high tech piece of equipment, tie the wires of a car phone into a car security system, etc.

On a modern show, what is Mac going to do? Almost everything is an integrated circuit these days. Intel cpus are made with 45 nm process. You can't just go in and mess with the wiring on something like that, or even repair it when it breaks. In fact, almost none of our technology can be repaired anymore. Most of it has to be scrapped, and a new factory chip put in, because no one can physically deal with the level of miniaturization we have now using just their hands. And going back to the car example, most modern cars have computers built into everything, including the tires. There's a lot less jury rigging that can go on with those. And the security systems, with chips inside keys, etc, etc, makes it a lot harder to just go hotwire one.

The other issue MacGyver of the 21st century would have to deal with is the level of specialization required to do most anything. You can't just jump into a device and start messing with it, because as was stated above, most things are computerized integrated circuits. There are a lot more black boxes and many more types of engineers involved in almost any project, so knowledge of basic principles and a strong grasp of chemistry doesn't carry you nearly as far.

That said, I think if they are going to have a 21st century MacGyver, they need to rewrite his back story a bit. I think in the show he had a physics (and maybe chemistry?) degree, but for this decade they'd better give him a compsci/computer engineering degree instead (perhaps still combined with his physics or chem degree). And they almost have to make him more hacker-ish. In the 21st century, 90% of what he does would touch computers, so if they make him a reverse engineering expert specializing in software (which is the easiest thing to circumvent/mess with/jury rig), he might be believable again. I've seen clips on youtube of people hacking those electronic signs over freeways and putting in their own personal messages, and there's really no end to what software you can hack at this point. So if they took that route, he'd be believable again.

Lastly, though, I think they need to have RDA in the role, and I think it's good that he's probably in his 50s. Mac was always a lifelong learner, so you could convincingly say he went back to school in the interim and picked up the comp sci degree. Also, I don't think I would find a movie or show like MacGyver very convincing in this day and age unless the star was probably 45. There's just too much to know for some 28 year old to take the part and seem convincing, no matter how much of a buff action star he may be. So if RDA can work out and get into shape again (he didn't look the greatest in that superbowl mastercard commercial), I think he's absolutely the one who should be cast for this.

MacGyver feels dated

I've had the chance to watch a couple of MacGyver episodes recently and they feel dated.
At the same time, the Bourne series comes to my mind as a modern version of MacGyver.
So... Matt Damon as MacGyver?

nathan fillion

Mal from Firefly

Age an issue.

The Macgyver character is a younger character unless we are making a movie about "Old Macgyver".

So it would need to be a younger actor.

The character is smart and a little light so you would need a younger actor who has a smart/little light persona or someone new.

And RDA has a certain way of talking that he carries through all his characters (sort of the, heck i'm just a country bumpkin (while really being quite smart)). Do you take that away and re-envision macgyver or do you keep it and come across like a poor imitation of RDA?

prior commitments

Richard Dean Anderson already has prior commitments not doing stargate, he won't have enough time to not do MacGyver as well.

Re:Why sombody else than Anderson?

Indeed, he's not even 60 yet. His shelf life for this role is a little longer than some other traditional action heroes because it depends on him looking smart, rather than looking tough. If they're gonna do this within the next 3-5 years, get Anderson.

Re:Someone is having writer's block

Top posting.

What?

Do you know what sucks on usenet?

Re:Second Biggest Question:

Actually there were numerous specials talking about how they did all the stuff in the show. Each of the "projects" were created and tried out first by Engineering College students from one of the Southern California Colleges (dont remember which one). It of it was real science... Though they always left out one or two steps in the show so you couldnt exactly duplicate it. Like the time he made a bomb by filing down the magnesium frame of a racing bike...

Likewise they will do the same thing again or use hollywood science... I'd prefer based of reality with a step or two omitted instead of mixing a soda with toothpaste to make a door lock eating agent. lol

Re:Childhood Hero

I always thought it was cool how'd he'd craft all sorts of nifty inventions with just what he had on hand.

Oh, yeah! That part usually got subsumed under the incredible plots and acting.

Re:Must be the right person

Matt Damon did excellent work in the espionage/underhanded sort of films like the Bourne Trilogy and the Oceans Trilogy. He also can pull off a good sense of humor as evidenced in the Ocean films and his cameo in Eurotrip (his rendition of the band's vocalist is STILL some of the funniest shit I've ever seen). He would make an excellent MacGyver.

The real question here is can he pull off a mullet?

Re:Must be the right person

If you stapled it on, I'm pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to pull off the mullet.