darthzirock
11-14-2003, 03:24 PM
It was the swankiest party of the year, as MGM vice chairman Chris McGurk greeted select media and industry types at his Beverly Hills mansion, and our own Paul Fischer was there. Stars adorned the palatial grounds, from Diane Lane, Eva Mendes and Queen Latifah, to stars of TV's DEAD LIKE ME. While the food was divine, McGurk left the best to last, with his long-awaited announcement, that just an hour prior to the party beginning, none other than Steve Martin has signed on the dotted line as the all-new Inspector Clouseau, in MGM's upcoming THE BIRTH OF THE PINK PANTHER. The news was greeted with rapturous applause, prior to the evening's musical entertainment. McGurk joked that we can finally forget talking about Windtalkers and concentrate on an MGM future that includes BARBERSHOP 2, BEAUTY SHOP, more Bond and more Cody Banks. But the new PINK PANTHER may well be a project to look forward to, with Martin at the helm.
Unless Blake Edwards is somehow involved in this project, I won't be looking forward to it. Although Martin is certainly a better choice than either Kevin Spacey (briefly considered for the film last year) or Mike Meyers (likewise briefly considered earlier this year), the best of the PINK PANTHER films were those that were true collaborations between director Edwards and original series star Peter Sellers. Once Sellers passed away, we were left with Edwards-directed abominations such as TRAIL OF THE PINK PANTHER, CURSE OF THE PINK PANTHER, and SON OF THE PINK PANTHER. I'm not saying Edwards needs to direct the new film, but he should at least have some sort of producing role, so that his advice would actually have to be listened to and not politely ignored.
Unless Blake Edwards is somehow involved in this project, I won't be looking forward to it. Although Martin is certainly a better choice than either Kevin Spacey (briefly considered for the film last year) or Mike Meyers (likewise briefly considered earlier this year), the best of the PINK PANTHER films were those that were true collaborations between director Edwards and original series star Peter Sellers. Once Sellers passed away, we were left with Edwards-directed abominations such as TRAIL OF THE PINK PANTHER, CURSE OF THE PINK PANTHER, and SON OF THE PINK PANTHER. I'm not saying Edwards needs to direct the new film, but he should at least have some sort of producing role, so that his advice would actually have to be listened to and not politely ignored.