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?

80's Mac, new actor

[billlava]

I definitely agree that it should feel like the old '80s MacGyver. If they tried to make it modern and hip it would just be trash, but it would still make money just the same. As for who should play Mac... The one modern-day equivalent we've got - Keefer Sutherland!

nathan fillion

[astroqat]

Mal from Firefly

Age an issue.

[Maxo-Texas]

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?

Re:Duh!

[Strange Ranger]

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:Second Biggest Question:

[Taelron]

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:Someone is having writer's block

[friedo]

Check out the HBO series From the Earth to the Moon. My favorite episode is the one that's told from the perspective of the boss engineer at Grumman when they were designing the LEM.

Re:Must be the right person

[wellingj]

I think Hugh Jackman would be a better fit.

Re:Must be the right person

[Ihmhi]

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:Second Biggest Question:

[Anonymous Coward]

It wasn't a bomb. He filed down the bike and used the magnesium filings with rust to make thermite to gas axe open the back of an armoured car so the bad guys wouldn't use explosives to open it killing the guard inside.

He got it open. They killed the guard anyway.

It is so sad I remember all this :(

one obvious /.er

[zogger]

Wil Wheaton

Burn Notice

[hack slash]

Has anyone else watched the 1st season of Burn Notice [imdb.com]? The main character is almost like a modern-day MacGyver, especially with his use of on-hand materials and with the voice-over narration of his MacGyveresque antics like RDA did in MacGyver. And just how many times can I say MacGyver in this MacGyver related post?

I think Jeffrey Donovan would make a half-decent MacGyver (damnit, I said it again).

Re:Age an issue.

[mikesd81]

What could work is if RDA took over for Pete Thornton's job (since Dana Elcar passed away 3 years ago) and possibly have Jared Padalecki play the new Mac (and by uncle, it RDA's Mac was an only child, HOWEVER, uncle sometimes can be a term used for a close friend of the family...) since he filmed a pilot for Young Mac in 03 [imdb.com]. He's probably off Summer time anyway between Supernatural seasons.

Re:I can't describe how much i hate that show now

[mr_matticus]

It's 4 pass, 1 plausible, and 3 busted. Add in the three "MacGuyver mini-myths"--all confirmed--and that's 8 to 3 right off the bad.

One of the busted ones, furthermore, is indeed plausible. A 9hp engine is sufficient for a properly-built ultralight if you know what you're doing. Having not seen MacGuyver in close to 20 years, I have no idea what sort of design it was. However, powered gliders with scooter motors work--as do human-powered gliders (human own problems in the conducting of its tests: they're not always that scientific or well-thought-out.

The other one, building an ultralight out of makeshift materials, really depends on the materials. The true obstacles is fasteners. That one may or may not be plausible (if he was in a junkyard, sure).

The sodium one is just bad. MB got that right.

But that's 9 to 2, maybe even 10 to 1 given a serendipitous setup. That's a pretty good hit rate for a TV show--probably as good as Mythbusters itself.

Good point, but

[m93]

how about this: part of the appeal of a 21st century MacGuyver to a younger audience could be his ability to apply his wit to situations by coming up with low-tech solutions to high-tech problems. Kids today have grown up in a world where technology does most things for them: people today aren't as practical as they were in the past. Seeing someone who can manipulate the world around them in clever ways in order to solve problems could translate to fascination, and to the success of said project.