the end of father ted..?

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

got this in an email forward...


Funnyman Steve Martin is making an American TV version of the hit British comedy Father Ted -
along with Irish talk show host Graham Norton.

Norton, 40, currently wowing audiences in America with his show, will play simpleton priest Father
Dougal Mcguire.

A source says, "Graham can't do anything wrong at the moment as far as Americans are concerned.

"He will make a fortune from the series."

Cheaper By The Dozen Martin will play the lead role of Father Ted Crilly who will be in charge of
a parish on a small fictional island off New York.

The source adds, "Steve wasn't expected to agree to join the sitcom as he's such a big star but
he'll make around ?500,000 an episode.

"He agreed because he's a big fan of the original show."

Norton had a minor role in the original version of the series as Friar Noel Furlong

Jim

I imagine this will be shte. The end? Yes.

If its aired here I'll watch an episode out of curiosity.
I assume they'll be working from new scripts, I very much doubt the yanks will get half the jokes from the original series.

"Tell Frosty I don't want any bleedin' dinner!"

Clinical Waste

Why can't americans think up their own stuff, instead of ripping off other great ideas and turning them into ****e.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

link.
http://www.supanet.com/cgi-bin/news/showfeed.pl?id=1079275308-2&area=entertainment

El Marco

This makes baby jesus cry. Graham Nortan as Dougal?! Steve Martin although good I can't imagine as Fr. Ted.

smoke.me.a.kipper

down with this sort of thing.

ixoy

Well I read recently - in the Sunday Times I think - that the US have passed on re-making Father Ted. Maybe we can rest easy now.

flogen

hopefully they wont, especially with norton as Dougal...

something tells me the new scripts will either totally miss the irony of the backwards Ireland image, or will get it, but the audience wont. Either way, it will just make Americans believe all the more that we are still living in the stone age

"did you see that documentary about some priests living in Aireland? Its amazing how they live. So quaint.... with their funny little dances and what not... amazing."

Flogen

Guy:Incognito

Originally posted by flogen
hopefully they wont, especially with norton as Dougal...

something tells me the new scripts will either totally miss the irony of the backwards Ireland image, or will get it, but the audience wont. Either way, it will just make Americans believe all the more that we are still living in the stone age

"did you see that documentary about some priests living in Aireland? Its amazing how they live. So quaint.... with their funny little dances and what not... amazing."

Flogen

The original poster said that itll be american based "an island off new york" so they wont have any opinions of ireland because we all no that everything is thought of in america so none of them would ever think to imagine its based on an irish show.

father_ted9t9

BOOOOOOO!! Thers only 1 father ted!

DMT

Careful now

krattapopov

this better not happen, really truly, please please dont let it happen

alleepally

I think it would be an ecumenical matter!

Draupnir

Will it be dubbed or subtitled!

Seriously though, along with Mel Gibson robbing the idea from The Passion of St.Tibulus, this is a serious fookin disgrace

Töpher

TheSonOfBattles

Holy Spiderbaby don't let this happen. Norton won't be able to play dumb and dimwitted Dougal, he can only play camp/gay characters, and thats cause he's basically playing himself. And Steve Martin if he's such a fan of the show, would leave its memory intact as is, rather than trampling it into the ground with a **** rehash of it for an audience that won't get any of the jokes from the original as its tailored to the Irish, and to a lesser degree English culture.

Originally posted by Clinical Waste
Why can't americans think up their own stuff, instead of ripping off other great ideas and turning them into ****e.

Take a look at tv Irish tv sometime, its basically American tv shows repeated endlessly. We're not exactly guilt free, so don't throw stones till you get out of the glasshouse.

Karl Hungus

There's a good chance that Steve Martin could be good in the role, but seeing as it's being made for American Audiences, they'll more than likely bastardise it and miss out on everything that made the original funny.

I'd like to see it out of sheer curiosity, and how it would translate to the US, but my heart just cries out "DOWN WITH THIS SORT OF THING!"

ozt9vdujny3srf

Careful Now.

yellum

Would they allow this nowadays ? With the amount of censorship and extreme right wing christianity will they allow a show that takes the piss out of the clergy ?

Maybe because they're catholic priests it could get through as the bible bashers are more protestant in nature. Still with the amount of support and money generated by The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibsons Neo-Catholic sect might have enough power now to block shows like this.

dudara

"Father, Pat Mustard wants to know if he can put his massive tool in my box?"

So much of that is going to pass right over americans. Not because of stupidity, but because it was an Irish show, with a very Irish sense of humour. It was funny because so much of it was true.

I mean, a lot of us have seen open-air masses celebrated on the back of a truck or on a stage. It was only a simple extension to have them celebrate mass on the back of a moving truck when Dougal was on board the milk float.

Dermot Morgan was a genius, because he took the truth and took it one step further.

BigEejit

They'll have to change it so much so the Americans will get it that it will bear no resembelance to the original .... I would not view it as the same show at all, just a show with characters having the same names as another one

Miguel_Sanchez

This sounds scary and it brings to mind the god awful American remake of Fawlty Towers which was called (aptly enough) Payne.

It was ****e. ****E ****E ****E.

Poz3D

I'm just interested in finding out who ends up playing Fr. Jack!

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

jack nicholson... it's the role he was born for

SantaHoe

Any news on who's writing this?
It just couldn't work unless Artur and Graham are in charge.... there again, if it's based on American clergy I'm not sure if they could pull it off either.
And how come Ardal isn't playing Dougle... is he as opposed to it as yee all seem to be, hah?
This is so wrong

sceptre

Originally posted by Jeff_Lebowski
This sounds scary and it brings to mind the god awful American remake of Fawlty Towers which was called (aptly enough) Payne.

It was ****e. ****E ****E ****E.

I was just thinking that when i read the first post. Payne-fully unfunny.

Like AW said, Martin might actually be good in the role but the actual comedy will probably be surgically removed before he gets near the script. What I've always liked about Ted is the surrealism combined with farce. You'll not be seeing any hamsters riding bikes in the US version I suspect.

Unfortunately, even if it's terrible, Arthur and Graham's names will be on the credits anyway even if they're not involved (as character co-creators). Still, there will presumably be a few bob in it for them.

SantaHoe

Was the original Father Ted that big in the US does anyone know?
I recall seeing rental tapes of Father Ted in a video store in Canada, which was quite odd I thought.
I didn't think it reached any futher than the UK & Ireland.

GuanYin

It did well enough in the states, which is most likely why its been targetted for a remake.

I've heard this remake rumour for over a year now tho'

Most of the american sIknow would be familiar with it and any Irish americans usually watch it in my experience.

embraer170

Has this actually been confirmed?

Every American I know has loved the original Father Ted.

artvandelay

Probally going to be a another red dwarf style remake. The americans will love it but anyone who has seen the original will hate it.

BuffyBot

Would they allow this nowadays ? With the amount of censorship and extreme right wing christianity will they allow a show that takes the piss out of the clergy ?

If its on the major networks no. On a cable channel like HBO etc, it might get through

Ragamuffin

I'm curious if it will be good.:dunno:

Rabies

The source adds, "Steve wasn't expected to agree to join the sitcom as he's such a big star but he'll make around ?500,000 an episode.

HA HA.... such a big star... come on, pull the other one. When did he have his last big hit. He stars in some of the worst movies each year. He must be stuck for work if he considers to star in a sitcom

BigEejit

er ... 500k for 2 weeks (maybe only 1) work is hardly "stuck"

sceptre

I doubt he's all that stuck for work. Even for Sgt Bilko (the pain, the pain) he took home seven million and change, there's only one ex-wife so his outgoings can't be all that high. I can believe that he's a fan of the original series - apparently he's a big fan of Monty Python and it would tie in with the stuff he was doing up to 1990 (especially in the 70s)

Casting and direction for the Pink Panther movie looks promising for a hit, as long as Reitman and Martin don't ballsup the story.

Having said that...

"I wrote a novel this year called 'Shop Girl,' and several producers came to me and wanted to turn it into a movie. And I said, "If you think you're going to take this book and change it around, and Hollywoodize it and change the ending... that's going to cost you.

Possible egg-throwing in November when it comes out then. Apart from Bowfinger I've never seen a Steve Martin movie at the cinema (Fantasia 2000 & Prince of Egypt don't count).

mwnger

Father Ted was broadcast in the States on BBC America (it includes Channel 4 shows) which is a cable station, so was available to only a minority of American households -predominantly urban and wealthy.
If this Steve Martin thing goes ahead I would guess that the netwok would dilute the sh*t out of the unique sense of humour ("why does he have to say 'feck'? Couldn't he say BUMMER! instead?) The result would probably bear as much resemblance to the original as Cosby does to One Foot In The Grave.

Kermitt

Hairy Japanese Bastards!

loyatemu

The result would probably bear as much resemblance to the original as Cosby does to One Foot In The Grave.

yeah - i think this is the main point here. The show will feature 3 priests living on an island. Beyond that any resemblance to Father Ted will probably end. They may borrow some of the basic plots from the original series but they will write entirely new scripts (there were only 21 episodes of Father Ted made on C4 - thats the equivalent of just 1 season on US TV)

It might be good or it might be **** - Steve Martin is very funny actor but has appeared in a lot of very bad movies in recent years. If they could recapture the spirit of "the Man with 2 Brains" or "The Jerk" it would be great.

Basically people shouldn't be too precious about the original Father Ted - this will be an entirely different beast to be judged on its own merits.

sceptre

Originally posted by sceptre
Casting and direction for the Pink Panther movie looks promising for a hit, as long as Reitman and Martin don't ballsup the story.

Oops