Get ready to Go-Go Gadget again! Disney is reviving the ‘Inspector Gadget’ live-action franchise, with Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich, who produced the recent ‘Aladdin’ remake, via their Rideback banner. ‘Saturday Night Live’s Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell have been hired to pen the script. The ‘Aladdin’ reboot made over $1 billion at the box office. Day and Seidell are also writing the remake of ‘Home Alone’ for Disney+.
The first ‘Inspector Gadget’ was released in 1999 and was a moderate success, grossing $134.4 million against its $90 million budget. That film was directed by music video-helmer David Kellogg, whose only other movie was ‘Cool as Ice’ starring Vanilla Ice. He never directed another film, but he did direct a BUNCH of ‘Playboy’ videos, so there’s that. Matthew Broderick portrayed Inspector Gadget, a police officer who is reborn as a bumbling cyborg crime-fighter. Rupert Everett played his arch-nemesis Doctor Claw, with Michelle Trachtenberg as Gadget’s niece Penny. Don Adams, the star of the ’60s spy comedy ‘Get Smart’, who also voiced the cartoon version of Inspector Gadget, provided the voice of Brain the dog. Dabney Coleman appeared as Chief Quimby, Gadget’s boss.
Even though the film wasn’t a huge hit, Disney released a direct-to-video sequel, ‘Inspector Gadget 2’, in 2003. D. L. Hughley, who voiced the Gadgetmobile in the first movie, returned, but he was the only returning cast member. French Stewart (‘3rd Rock From the Sun’) replaced Broderick.
Of course, before there was the live-action ‘Inspector Gadget’ movie, there was the classic cartoon, which was produced by DIC and began airing in 1983. Adams, as mentioned, was the voice of the lead character, a bumbling would-be crime-solver. He was dedicated to battling the sinister Dr. Claw (whose face was never shown on the cartoon) and his agency M.A.D. In actuality, the real crime-solving was done by Gadget’s niece Penny, operating from a high-tech base, and Brains the dog, who would tail Gadget to get him out of trouble and to act as Penny’s “legs.” Gadget was a complete dumbass.
Among Gadget’s gadgets are roller skates that pop out of his feet, extending arms and legs, and a helicopter propeller that pops out of his head.
Though successful in the US, ‘Inspector Gadget’ was more popular in Europe and in France in particular. A number of spin-offs, animated movies, and video games were released there but not in the US. The most recent CGI animated ‘Inspector Gadget’ series is only available in the US on the pay service Universal Kids (formerly Sprout) via Comcast Cable.
Other than the fact that the new film will be live-action, nothing else was announced, so it’s unclear if this will be a theatrical release or a Disney+ project.
Are you excited that Disney is reviving the ‘Inspector Gadget’ franchise?
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
