Baywatch Movie Script
Karmen Mcarthun
Whether it?s going toe-to-toe with a former WWE Champion in Baywatch or delving into a character drama like Snowfall, Joseph seems to thoroughly enjoy being pushed in ways that further him as an actor.
When offered the role of the villainous Frankie in the reboot of the Baywatch franchise, Joseph jumped at the prospect. When asked what attracted him to the project, Joseph quickly asserts that, ultimately, it all came down to the quality of the script.
?What initially drew me to the script was that this was a different take on the original installment,? he begins. ??It skews towards comedy and action, [and] has the sexy [element, too]. It doesn?t take itself as seriously as the original. So, that was the first thing. We?re taking the franchise in a different way and everyone was kinda enthusiastic about that?? It?s not just going to be about abs and the perfect swimming form on the beach. Then, when I found out about The Rock and just how much physicality was going to be involved, I really took a liking to it.?
?It was kinda cool working with Priyanka Chopra and [she] wasn?t the stereotypical villain.? She?s the kinda upscale villain [and I?m] not your quintessential henchmen but it is more like the Bond thing, where they?re kind of well-dressed. It?s only because of the circumstances that makes them villains at all.? To see a woman play the main villain is quite interesting too.?
Furthermore, Joseph argues that the process of developing such a scene is incredibly complex, involving everyone from screenwriters, to stunt performers and the film?s stars.? However, he also believes that the best action sequences feel natural to the script and enhance the overall story itself.
?It was easy.? I mean, it can?t get too hard when you?re working with beautiful people on a beach.? Who am I to complain?? (laughs) Everyone had a warm disposition and you?re working with some of the most charismatic people in the business.?
?I think they did a great job of the casting because there?s a lot of newcomers?,? he continues. ?The zingers that Rock and Zac share is just a lot of funny stuff.? Even my character had some moments of levity, some comical moments.? The fact that you have that already written there and that you give us an opportunity to play in between things, it makes it all the more fun and laid-back type of experience.?
Moving on from the beaches of Baywatch, however, Joseph opted to choose a wildly different experience for his next role by joining John Singleton?s upcoming FX series, Snowfall.? Taking place in 1983, Snowfall tells the story of the rise of the crack epidemic in Los Angeles. A fictitious story in a historical setting, Joseph believes that having the option to create new narratives allows them the opportunity to explore some deeper themes.
?This story of Franklin Saint is an original story in a historical period where a lot of things ring true.? But I think it gives the story a little bit more life being able to show things that didn?t happen in one particular person?s story but to be able to expand and show how this drug [was] coming in and this drug trade sponsoring wars. To be able to embellish a bit.?
Of course, it is also in these moments where series producer Singleton could most demonstrate his value to his crew.? Having grown up in South Central Los Angeles, Singleton?s years of experience helped him mentor his young team in ways that would help bring some authenticity to the world they were creating.
?John is a stickler. As an EP, he was always in our ear, giving us advice,? Joseph muses gratefully. ?He grew up in South Central.? This is his place. I remember on my first day of shooting, John walked up to me and said, ?Hey man, I know you?re from New York but some of my guys around here are gonna be mad if you don?t get this right.? I was like, ?Thank you, John.? (laughs)? He was always around giving little details? To me, it?s almost like a treasure chest of information. You know, to have someone that really rolls around in those times.?
For Amin, despite the fact that two experiences may have been wildly diverse, both have helped him continue in his development as an actor.? In any case, both Baywatch and Snowfall have allowed Joseph to enjoy his moment in the sun.
If you follow the industry, you heard all about that executive shakeup at Paramount a few weeks ago (read about it here). Well, one of the first projects that new president Adam Goodman is looking to put on the fast-track is a big screen version of "Baywatch." Yep, you heard that right. We've got "A-Team" and "T.J. Hooker" movies in the works, why the hell not "Baywatch" too? Paramount hired Jeremy Garelick, of Is This Your Mother? and The Break-Up, to rewrite and direct the feature. The original script, written by Jay Scherick and David Ronn in 2005, was too "heavy on action," so they hired Garelick to turn it into a comedy.
"It felt like the template to do a movie that was similar to Stripes and Police Academy, the comedies I loved growing up," Garelick told Variety. "Rather than trying to pitch the tone, I figured it would be easier to write the first act to convey who these characters were." He pitched half of the rewrite to Paramount even though he has never actually seen the original TV show. In addition to writing the script for The Break-Up, Garelick did an uncredited rewrite of The Hangover and has two other scripts sold as well - Murray at Large and The Insane Laws. This guy already sounds like a screenwriter I'm not going to like very much.
The new Baywatch script now focuses on two unlikely lifeguard candidates trying to catch on alongside the buff bodies that will be as abundant in the film as they were in the TV series. I already know exactly what this is going to be like - and I'm already sick. "Baywatch" is one of those shows that is meant to stay a campy 90's classic forever and shouldn't show up in any media form ever again, except for movies like Borat. This falls right in line with that stupid Three Stooges movie from the Farrelly Brothers - it shouldn't be made.
Here is where good set designers read the script two or three times before starting to draw anything. The first time is for the story itself and the other times are to understand what the story really requires in terms of the physical space and how it all works together. I covered some of this here in several previous posts.
In both cases the research led to authentic period detailing, but the sets themselves had totally different feelings to jive with their stories and their characters. You can read more about these sets on my web site, at www.georgefledo.net. And, for a good short intro to how we approach research for a set design, you can read my post here, at Research is an investment, not a luxury.
Once I have a good sense of how we want to approach the story, I can go back to the script to start defining the physical space. Many scripts include detailed stage directions or even floor plans, and there is an ongoing debate as to how much of this was included by the playwright and how much is just a record of the original production. A couple of years ago I contacted a few publishers to get their take on this, and the consensus was that, unless the contract specifically states otherwise, there is no requirement to follow any of it. You can read about this at The script, the set, and stage directions.
The idea, I think, is to replicate the 21 Jump Street movie and its sequel, which had a simple and very successful formula: remake a popular TV show from the past, cast likable lead actors, and incorporate a witty, self-aware script full of satire that both deconstructs the original show and exists on its own as an entertaining and funny movie.
What's disappointing is that there's plenty of fertile ground for parody of Baywatch, starting with the way such jiggle-based entertainment was such a product of the 1990s that might be looked at differently today. But the movie touches none of that, apparently believing, for some reason, that its repeated cops-as-lifeguards joke was the smarter play.
Baywatch as an 80s and 90s TV series was always harmless, far-fetched nonsense. Completely mindless, its success rested on its half-naked cast of attractive (but typically awful) actors, and signature slow-motion swimsuit bounce. You think that would be a rock-solid comedic foundation when scripting an R-rated reimagining. Weirdly, though, Baywatch seems to hold itself in, like a middle-aged desk jockey straining to suck in their gut on the beach.
Let the slow-motion running begin!
Here's yet another TV show that is being turned into a movie. Paramount has brought on Jeremy Garelick to helm the bigscreen adaptation of the long running television series Baywatch. Garelick, who wrote the 2006 comedy The Break Up, and most recently did an uncredited rewrite to this years smash hit The Hangover, is a also being tapped to rewrite the Baywatch script, injecting comedy into the action heavy script written by Jay Scherick and David Ronn.
Although Garelick has never watched the original TV show(not a good sign for fans), he saw an opputunity to turn the movie into broad comedy. As opposed to the unintentional comedy provided by the original show, which centered on a group of muscle clad lifeguards on a crowded beach resort. Garelick said of the original script, that...
Variety reports that the script now focuses on two unlikely lifeguard candidates trying to catch on alongside the buff bodies that will be as abundant in the film as they were in the TV series.
So Baywatch is the latest casualty of the TV to movie remakes currently in the works, joining the likes of The A-Team and T.J Hooker, The original Baywatch show starred David Hasselhoff, and served as a launching pad for hotties such as Yasmin Bleeth, Gina Lee Nolin, and Pamela Anderson. The show also spawned off several spin offs and TV movies. The world-wide awareness of this brand is huge. So no matter how bad this could be, it will probably still rake in the dough.
There's no doubt that the movie will enlist several of Hollywood's best beach bodies. But in staying true to the original, let's hope they can't act their way out of a paperbag... it just wouldn't feel right otherwise. More importantly, will the Hoff be back?
So do what you guys think of a Baywatch movie coming over the horizon?