‘American Gladiators’ Movie Possible, All Hope is Lost

Published by Jeff Leins on May 12, 2009

I think it’s safe to say Hollywood is out of good ideas. According to Variety, a movie based on the TV show “American Gladiators” is in development. Johnny Ferraro, the creator of the series that started in 1988, is bringing a live-action adaptation to the screen with the help of producer Scott Mednick (who is also reviving the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).

No script has been written yet, but the goal is to create a story inside the world Ferraro created. “I look forward to creating a compelling story that launches a whole new set of characters,” Mednick said.

Am I missing something? Wasn’t this just a physically challenging game show? Is Nitro really a character? Were people really wanting to know what Blaze had to say? I’d rather watch a movie consisting only of people trying to come up with a decent story for the Gladiators. Besides, we had this movie already (before “American Gladitors” existed) and it was called The Running Man.

Here’s my favorite part of Variety’s article: Ferraro noted “American Gladiators” was originally conceived as a film, but the property “took a detour and became a TV phenomenon.” Took a detour? How did that happen? “Well, we have this idea for a crazy movie where people compete against modern day gladiators. They roll around in giant hamster wheels and poke each other with padded Q-tips. It’s gonna be great… Oops, it’s a game show now.”

Producers are so eager to make movies out of recognizable properties that they’ll consider an American Gladiators movie? We’re already expecting a slew of board game movies following the moderate success of TV and video game adaptations. What’s next, Captain Crunch: The Movie? Skittles 2: Taste the Rainbow? This is getting out of hand.