It’s bad enough that Spaced, the classic British TV show created by Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, is getting remade for America (Edgar is calling this version McSpaced), but now there are people online who think that the original creators have sold out and that they are somehow involved in this new monstrosity. Edgar Wright has taken to his MySpace blog to set the record straight, and he’s doing it with a lot more tact and class than I would be able to summon up if I was in his situation (ie, if someone was raping my creative work and didn’t even bother to talk to me about it in advance).
Thus spake Edgar:
I don’t especially want to get into a war of words about it, but I am deeply pained that people think I’ve sold out and am whoring out our baby to a big network for a pile of dirty cash. This could not be further from the truth.
Someone posted on a forum about me, the folllowing. "Way to screw up a classic, you jackass".
Now when, in twenty years time, I release ‘SHAUN OF THE DEAD: THE VERSION YOU’VE NEVER SEEN’ with a CGI Jabba and the Spider Walk sequence cut back in, then and only then do I deserve such a slur.
Until then, I have to say it hurts a little. I can’t stress enough that I’m not involved and am not going to profit from this new enterprise.
That’s the lousy part.
The upside of this, is that I’m genuinely touched and taken aback at the fan response to this news of McSpaced. If the huge-fans-of-our-work-at-Wonderland weren’t previously aware that there was a loyal fanbase for SPACED, they surely must be now.
A quick skip through the links posted below should show anyone who didn’t previously know that there is a deep affection for those 14 episodes. And for that, we are very and have always been very grateful.
My favourite responses? The poster who wrote that this was the worst news "since Johnny Alpha got killed by that big flying monster in 2000AD". Also much kudos go to the person on CHUD whose simple answer to the U.S. version was this;
"Don’t"
(Big ups to Kevin Matchstick for his nicely referencing line. And for not posting about fast food all the time)
Head over to Edgar’s blog to read more, including his explanation for why he won’t be making a dime from this abomination and why he legally didn’t have to be informed of it in advance. Ethically is another matter, of course.
The good news for Edgar has to be that the development process for American TV shows is such that the likelihood of McSpaced making it even as far as a pilot is doubtful, and even if it does get to pilot, the chances of it being a series remain slim, especially in a strike atmosphere. Edgar mentions that the producers of McSpaced have been reading his blog, and I hope that they are reading other sites that are covering this news. If so, I’d like to pass them a message:
You are so blind! You so do not understand! You weren’t there at the beginning. You don’t know how good it was! How important! People like you make me sick! What’s wrong with you?