Remember the 1995 Terry Gilliam film 12 Monkeys, starring Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt? Bruce was a convict living in a disease-ridden future who’s sent back in time to gather info about what caused the outbreak—but here’s the rub! The time travelers would return naked and not-a-little-bit-koo-koo, which didn’t make them entirely trustworthy to the present day peeps. (Or maybe Willis imagined the entire thing because he was actually koo-koo! Who knows?) Anyway, it was a commercial flop, but has gained traction on the cult circuit, and has tons of fans. (Though to be honest, I’m still kind of furious over the lack of actual monkeys in the movie. Nowhere close to 12!)
That being said, Syfy is debuting a spinoff 12 Monkeys series this fall, which according to its producers will completely shake up the concept. From Deadline:
Co-exec EP Terry Matalas assured that the series is a “complete reimagining. We didn’t want to redo the movie and so we changed everything from the top down.”
I dunno, guys! This trailer looks pretty familiar to me… but it also looks dark and creepy. However… WHERE ARE THE GODDAMN MONKEYS?!?
If they wanted to completely reimagine it, I think “Twelve Monkeys” should’ve been about a guy who inherits his eccentric uncle’s monkeys, buys an old Winnebago, and heads out across America in search of love, the meaning of life, and the cheapest place to buy bananas and tiny diapers.
The monkeys speak English (except one, which speaks Spanish). Only the guy can understand them, and that’s only when he’s wearing his dead uncle’s hearing aid.
Gus Van Sant to direct.