About a year ago, Judd Apatow announced that he was working on bringing back Pee-wee Herman with an untitled feature film. Paul Reubens collaborated with actor Paul Rust on writing the script and last week the two of them handed it in to Judd Apatow. In an interview with THR, Reubens stated that everything was ready to go and they’re just awaiting the green light.
Imagine the face of comedy from the early 80s combined with the face of comedy from the past couple of years. It’s an exciting prospect and it looks like Pee-wee Herman meets Judd Apatow may really be happening!
When asked about Judd Apatow’s contributions to the new Pee-wee Herman film, Reubens told THR that:
“He’s constantly having us talk about and address the emotional core of Pee Wee Herman. It’s adding a dimension I never had before.”
I can see certain audiences feeling alienated by the decision to go in a different direction with an established character, but if Apatow and Reubens could pull this off, I think it could be a smart decision.
While I’m still not sure how well this is going to translate into a feature film, I’m interested to see how it turns out. The Reubens/Apatow combination seems promising and if they can get the script right, and turn it into something that would resonate with this generation, I think the film has a chance.
