WISH MOVIE:THE A TEAM

WISH MOVIE LUCIEN GREY REMAKE: THE A- TEAM

Growing up in the 1980’s I watched a lot of TV shows many of them reruns of long gone shows , some of my favourite were The Knight Rider,Starsky & Hutch, Hawaii Five O ,Charlie’s Angels, Perry Mason, Father Dowling, Murder she wrote, and many more. Of all the shows there was one that was at the top of my list, that show was The A –Team.
This was a show that captured my imagination in all aspects, from the premise of wrongfully accused soldiers on the run who survive as soldiers of fortune, to the characters, to the stories of the episodes. This series took action on television to a different levels.
Like most other fans of the show the characters were even more thrilling than the action and missions that they carried out, each character drawing his own fan base. From the leader Hannibal Smith(George Peppard),to confidence man Face(Dirk Benedict),the maniac ace pilot Murdock(Dwight Shultz) and every body’s(at least mine’) B.A Baracus (Mr T). They were the A Team, and every week they thrilled audiences with high octane action.

Unlike Charlie’s Angel’s, SWAT, and Starsky and Hutch, that have been brought to the silver screen, it is not going to be so easy trying to find a cast that can live up to the legend that these four created. Unlike many of those other shows with maybe the exception of Starsky and Hutch, the show was heavily based on the personalities of the Characters and their interaction with each other. They all had such distinct characters and temperaments that you couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Face always trying to avoid being the front man in one of Hannibal’s plans, every body wondering what crazy thing Murdock was going to do next , and B.A’s ‘s fear of flying “I ain’t getting on no plane Hannibal”. They were the darling of the TV action genre.
Bringing this legendary series to the silver screen would be a big risk which could go either way, it could either be a big hit, winning new fans and inspiring re-runs or a huge bomb disappointing fans of the genre who have long awaited a movie.
If I were to be at the helm of such an awesome project here’s how I would do it.
Firstly due to the years that have past, they will no longer be Vietnam veterans, they would have to be soldiers wrongly accused of breaking rules of engagement from the Persian Gulf war. US Navy Seals that belonged to the same unit. The action would have to be elevated several notches, no more throwing and flying about like back in the day, because it would look to much like a B movie. And unlike in the television series there actually would have to be some death and blood, this movie would be more in the line of the Mission Impossible, Die Hard and Lethal Weapon instalments in terms of the fast paced high octane action.
Mr T’s van will still have to be there , a version to fit it’s 21st century setting, maybe a remote controlled van, with a door that slides open ,Armour plated tires, a hi tech vehicle with GPS tracking ability, a van supped up by B.A himself.
Their skills and ability would also have to move up, as audiences appetite has grown for the spy genre.
Ace mechanic B.A Baracus would be a tech and demolition expert that can fix anything and find a way to blow up anything with basic home made appliances. Face, would be a former military intelligence officer who is an expert in communications, cryptology and languages, he can find information on anything and anyone and lay his hands on anything the team needs, he’s also the front man of the team.
Mad man Murdock the ace pilot will be able to fly anything. And last but not least the lovable Hannibal , the leader of the team. Hannibal is a former battle strategist and Navy Seal trainer, he is a highly experienced soldier who still maintains a high sense of humour, whose line “I love it when a plan comes together” will remain immortal like “Book em Danno” and “Trust me, I know what I’m doing”.
Now comes the most difficult aspect , casting. Let’s face it, those characters are immortal, and trying to replace them is a task a daunting as trying to remake Casablanca or The Godfather a task I equate as trying to dry up the Mississippi with a cotton swab. But try I will.
The role of Hannibal will definitely have to be played by Mel Gibson, I can’t imagine anyone else playing the charismatic cigar chomping leader. The role of Face would have to be Edward Burns, after his role in the movie Confidence I am more than convinced he can play the role perfectly. As for the role of mad man Murdock, I would have said Jim Carrey but I think I’d rather go for Vince Vaughn, he is one man that has being dominating the comedy scene in the past few years and I see him bringing a fresh element to the role. Finally the immortal B.A Baracus formerly played by Mr T, who became an 80’s icon through this role. I would have loved to have Mr T in this role but he would look too old beside the much younger cast, and as for the Mohawk! The new generation which are the viewers will not understand it’s significance. So for the role of B.A Baracus , this could be done by one of two people, either Ving Rhames or rapper turned actor Ice Cube, for this role, he’s have to pack and bulk up, like Will Smith did for the role of Ali. I can picture either one of them saying “I ain’t getting on no plane Hannibal”.
The recurring characters such as ally and reporter Amy Allen can be played by Jennifer Aniston and the role of Col. Decker who’s made it a personal vendetta to bring down The A- Team would be wonderfully played by expert fugitive chaser the talented Tommy Lee Jones.
There would definitely have to cameos from the old cast, unfortunately George Peppard passed on a few years ago, but the remaining cast members would have to appear one way or another.
Re-inventing the A Team without losing the key elements that made it the legendary show that it is , is the only way to make it successfully work in this day and age. If re-inventing Bond , could work, I have a pretty good feeling that the same could be done for The A- Team.