If the series began in 2008......?

[VM02]

I love the idea that Robin Masters made his money in high tech, rather than as a novelist. Maybe he owns the Dallas Mavericks too.

[Lt Tanaka]

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[ConchRepublican]

You know, the more I think about it, the more I think the shows tone could work today as well. I understand all the points about things being more "grim and gritty" today and reality being poular because of it, but sometimes the thing that bucks that trend totally is what becomes popular, and then the standard. Think Heroes and LOST, two shows supremely popular, yet quite the opposite of reality or CSI shows as there's a sense of mystery, myth and supernatural about them in contrast to the others grounding in hard science.

In a time when the country is at war and quite fractured between who sees the realities of the world correctly, I think the story of a noble warrior, returned from war would be interesting. Weren't the late 70's into 1980 the same, between post Vietnam and the hostage crisis? Magnum never really took a stand regarding the Vietnam war and whether it was right or wrong, it just was, and he was a soldier. The same tone, eschewing taking sides, but walking down the morally right character path, I think would still work.

I think the draw of the Magnum character is that we know he is a Good Man, no matter his drawbacks. He's seen the worst of the world, and went back 2 more times in defence of his country and is now working through what it all means. That will work in any environment.

As for the modern world, cell phones and the 'net, that's fairly easy. How often do you think TM woud either forget his phone, lose his phone, have it shut off due to lack of payment or forget to charge it? That would be the running joke of the series like TM not paying anyone back. As for the 'net, I see him not being computer literate like a hacker, he'd still need a Mac-like character to do deep digging or to fix the system he crashed, but his intuitive sense would help him uncovered the leads. There's a lot one can find through google, yahoo and newspaper archives alone, if you just know what you're looking for. I could see a lot of "a-HA!" moments with TM in front of his terminal using a google saearch to find something. Of course, he probably still has dial-up because Higgins won't run cable to the guesthouse.

Even better, the main house has wi-fi, but not the guest house, so Thomas leeches and has spotty service.

[MaximRecoil]

As for the modern world, cell phones and the 'net, that's fairly easy. How often do you think TM woud either forget his phone, lose his phone, have it shut off due to lack of payment or forget to charge it? That would be the running joke of the series like TM not paying anyone back. As for the 'net, I see him not being computer literate like a hacker, he'd still need a Mac-like character to do deep digging or to fix the system he crashed, but his intuitive sense would help him uncovered the leads. There's a lot one can find through google, yahoo and newspaper archives alone, if you just know what you're looking for. I could see a lot of "a-HA!" moments with TM in front of his terminal using a google saearch to find something. Of course, he probably still has dial-up because Higgins won't run cable to the guesthouse.

Even better, the main house has wi-fi, but not the guest house, so Thomas leeches and has spotty service.

That would all be quite comical actually; a great way to fit Magnum into current times without losing his personality or other elements of the show.

[J.J. Walters]

Excellent points Conch! Something like that could probably work.

I still can't get past the "modern" setting, however. To me, Magnum is all about the 80s. You take the 80s out of the equation and everything just breaks down for me. The cast "thing" is hard for me, too. I can't picture anybody else but the original cast.

As for the 'net, I see him not being computer literate like a hacker, he'd still need a Mac-like character to do deep digging or to fix the system he crashed, but his intuitive sense would help him uncovered the leads. There's a lot one can find through google, yahoo and newspaper archives alone, if you just know what you're looking for. I could see a lot of "a-HA!" moments with TM in front of his terminal using a google saearch to find something.

Need I remind you that Magnum "reformatted the hard drive" in an a attempt to fix a software game installation!

[ConchRepublican]

Excellent points Conch! Something like that could probably work.

I still can't get past the "modern" setting, however. To me, Magnum is all about the 80s. You take the 80s out of the equation and everything just breaks down for me. The cast "thing" is hard for me, too. I can't picture anybody else but the original cast.

True, but as TM mentions often, people can loose time in paradise. Does a day in Hawai'i change from 1984 to 2008? What, really, would be different? Sure, his military access to the base would be a lot harder to scam (I hope) but where there's contacts, there will always be angles.

As for the original cast . . . I agree, but I also think, realistically, it's not going to happen. I know it's not apples to apples because the original cast were too old or passed away, but many felt it wrong to remake Ocean's 11 or that it wouldn't work, yet they chose the right people, played it right (except for Julia Roberts, I can't see her as a stop everything stunner, that should have been Catherine Zeta-Jones, but I digress) and it worked. The dialogue and character interplay between Clooney, Piit and Damon, as well as the others, I think, nailed it.

That movie though, is the reason why I think Clooney is totally wrong for the TM part. First, I think he's too old, but more importantly, I think he's too smarmy. He played Danny Ocean excellently, but that was as a master manipulator/con man. That is not TM.

I partially have my head around Matthew McConaughey because I think he's the right age and build and walks the line the character needs to, not too funny and serious when needs to be. As long as he doesn't play it too cheesy, I think he could be the right choice.

That is, if they are not bringing back the original cast.

[MPS]

As for the modern world, cell phones and the 'net, that's fairly easy. How often do you think TM woud either forget his phone, lose his phone, have it shut off due to lack of payment or forget to charge it?

LOL. You have just described my husband! Except for forgetting to pay the bill; he just forgets to turn the phone on. Trust me, it is just like being back in the '80's

[golfmobile]

What comes to me for an MPI for the current time frame would be more like the current Burn Notice. If anyone else is a fan of that show, I think you'll understand. In that show, the lead is quite competent at what he does but has been tossed out in the cold, but he has two "sidekicks" who help him with solving the problems, and his mother is the Higgins of the show. It really has quite a few correlations, if you look at it in that light.

It brings the current technology into play but with tongue solidly in cheek.

Doing MPI that way could work in the current environment. But Burn Notice is already doing it . . . . (just Miami instead of Hawaii, but it would work similarly, with a few extra location options, in Hawaii instead, in its own way)

Hope someone else here is a fan of the show so you can see what I mean.

But what would be really fun, if I'm pulling from other shows, is to put Monk in the Higgins-type role -- I can just SEE TM having to deal with Monk! Just the idea of that cracks me up!

JMHO

And using current TV actors instead of big box-office-star big-screen actors opens up a whole new legion of options . . . .

golf

[Carmen]

But what would be really fun, if I'm pulling from other shows, is to put Monk in the Higgins-type role -- I can just SEE TM having to deal with Monk! Just the idea of that cracks me up!

great idea!! But I think this "relationship" would only last a day!!!

[Jaybird]

Yeah! Matthew McCoughnahey (sp) could pull it off as TM.

What I'd really like to see is "Magnum PI-2008 Reality Series." They would choose 7 folks at random from the forum. We would have to live at the estate, learn to drive a Ferrari, paddle a surfski, play volleyball, entertain stewardesses, put up with a "Higgins" character, fly around in a Hughes 500D, pick locks, learn to field strip a Colt 1911, improve our swimming skills, tread water for a day, memorize volumes of Detroit Tigers trivia, and lastly....survive on $50/week. Pick me! Pick me!!

[MaximRecoil]

Matthew McConaughey is about 4" too short for one thing, that is assuming he is even the 6' that is claimed on IMDb (he strikes me as shorter).

I guess it doesn't matter who they get anyway; it won't be Magnum P.I. without Selleck as Magnum, and as such, any new incarnation of the show will never cut the mustard for me.

Think of an old friend. Now think of someone else; anyone else, pretending to be that old friend. It's like that.

[IKnowWhatYoureThinking]

Yeah! Matthew McCoughnahey (sp) could pull it off as TM.

What I'd really like to see is "Magnum PI-2008 Reality Series." They would choose 7 folks at random from the forum. We would have to live at the estate, learn to drive a Ferrari, paddle a surfski, play volleyball, entertain stewardesses, put up with a "Higgins" character, fly around in a Hughes 500D, pick locks, learn to field strip a Colt 1911, improve our swimming skills, tread water for a day, memorize volumes of Detroit Tigers trivia, and lastly....survive on $50/week. Pick me! Pick me!!

Jaybird, I think you have come up with the best idea yet! Let me volunteer my services to be one of the seven.

[Lt. Cook]

Golfmobile - Just watched my first Burn Notice and I agree, I could see a modern Magnum be very similar. If any of you haven't seen it, it's a very cool show. Another similarity to MPI is that the character does PI type jobs in each episode, but has a larger history that unravels piece by piece throughout the series. Highly recommended.

[Italian Ice]

One thing's for sure, he'd be playing some cool videos games in the computer room and using MSN messenger to chat instead of the slow black screen !! 20 years huh?

[Seaver41]

Matthew McConaughey is about 4" too short for one thing, that is assuming he is even the 6' that is claimed on IMDb (he strikes me as shorter).

I guess it doesn't matter who they get anyway; it won't be Magnum P.I. without Selleck as Magnum, and as such, any new incarnation of the show will never cut the mustard for me.

Think of an old friend. Now think of someone else; anyone else, pretending to be that old friend. It's like that.

reincarnations fail when the actor(s) IS the character.........certain roles blend actor and character so much they seem one in the same. Christopher Reeve is Superman......so much so that all incarnations after him use him as the standard. The recent movie emulates the look and demeanor of the way he ws portrayed by Reeve.......which is in contrast to say how the cartoon version is done.

Was Selleck Magnum, or Magnum Selleck? Many blame his less than remarkable movie career on character and actor being one in the same. The uniqueness about Magnum is that the original actor nailed it. I don't think you can re-interpret the role............at least not until further generations have passed. It took 40 years to even attempt another James T. Kirk.......and even in doing it the producers/writers were careful to do it as a prequel so as not to conflict with the legend established by Shatner...and for that matter Nimoy as well. I would guess if well received they could then take the character into the years of life played by Shatner.

It's simply too soon to re-do Magnum.................it will take fresh perspective to accept it.