Mining familiar IP is not a new notion in the world of television, and fresh off the debut of its Batman semi-prequel series Gotham, Fox is now developing a Big TV show. Deadline reports that Enlisted executive producers Kevin Biegel and Mike Royce have sold a half-hour comedy adaptation of Big to Fox that they will write and executive produce. Loosely based on Penny Marshall’s classic 1988 film starring Tom Hanks, the potential series is described as a show that “explores what it means to be an adult and what it means to be a kid, and how in today’s world those two things are more confused than ever.” This is actually pretty thematically relevant material as today’s generation doesn’t feel forced to “grow up” as soon as they graduate from college, and instead fully embrace their nostalgia for the movies, TV shows, and even commercials that they enjoyed as kids.
More on the potential Big TV show after the jump.
The folks over at Deadline don’t have much more information on the prospective series, but the show is still very much in development and not a sure thing just yet. I was a fan of Biegel’s work on Cougar Town and while I couldn’t fully get into Enlisted, I know the show had many fans that were disappointed with its early cancellation. The sense of humor that he and Royce exhibited on that show makes me think they’ll turn out a swell pilot for Big, so it’ll be interesting to see if Fox takes a liking to the script and officially orders production on a pilot.
I really do think that, as described, this Big TV show could dive deep into some of the touchstones of the current “man-child” generation. Gone are the days when being a grown up meant wearing a business suit and getting a job in insurance sales. Nerds are “cool” now—just look at the variety of people wearing superhero T-shirts—and even the moviegoing marketplace has transformed into a place where trying to get a dramatic, adults-only film financed is a Herculean challenge while studios are lining up superhero movie after superhero movie. Thinking back on the original Big, one imagines in today's world, Hanks' Josh Baskin wouldn't really seem all that strange.
It’s certainly a curious dichotomy, and as long as Biegel and Royce stay away from trying to imitate the classic Hanks-fronted film, I think it could wind up being a pretty interesting TV show. What do you think, readers? Are you at all interested in Big as a TV series? Do you find the idea of chronicling today's blurred lines between adulthood and childhood fascinating? Sound off in the comments below.
