There was nearly a spooky Gilligan's Island reboot — but Sherwood Schwartz stopped it
In this proposed version, the castaways become cannibals.
In 2020, we saw a reboot of the Ricardo Montalbán-led fantasy drama TV series Fantasy Island. Serving as a prequel to the 1977 series, Blumhouse's Fantasy Island was a spooky reimagining of the idea of an island that brought your fantasies to life. The reception was...less than a fantasy. While it made back well over its small $7 million budget, it currently sits at a dismal 8% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
However, this was not the first classic TV show that was proposed to be brought back as a horror movie. The idea is older than you'd think — and was proposed for Gilligan's Island in the Nineties.
James Gunn, known for Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad, and Slither, recently spoke about a concept that had been floated by Charlie Kaufman, the writer of indie darlings Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
According to Gunn, in the Nineties, Kaufman proposed a dark and gritty retooling of the beloved castaways. "A true story: In the late ‘90s screenwriting GOAT Charlie Kaufman pitched a movie version of Gilligan’s Island where the islanders, starving & desperate, started killing & eating each other," Gunn tweeted.
According to Gunn, "Warner Bros wanted to do it - but Sherwood Schwartz, the creator, said no way."
Of course, Gunn was not the mega-star back then that he was now. In modern times, fresh off his Guardians of the Galaxy smash hit, he tried to revive the eerie Gilligan reboot again.
Warner Bros. and Kaufman were ready to board this three-hour tour, but once again Schwartz — well, the Schwartz estate — put a stop to it. "Anyway, if the Schwartz estate changes their mind," Gunn said, "I’m here."
Castaway cannibals! Only one question remains now... who would you cast in this gory retelling?

56 Comments

Gilligan stew with a hint of Ginger.
Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges and a few others. Worth a watch every so often.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/JustEatGilligan
Thank goodness Sherwood put the kibosh on that nonsense! Hopefully the Schwartz estate will continue to put the brakes on any such notion.
I really wish hollywood would stop ruining classic shows.
Now, should I tell you how I *really* feel???
However, I wouldn't mind a Gomer Pyle cannibal treatment, where Lou Ann and Bunny chow down on a Marine Roast - 'cause to tell you the truth... I'm kinda getting sick and tired of hearing about Gomer Pyle here, there and everywhere... (despite how many rocks may be thrown at me on this blog)...
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