The REAL Magnum Movie

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Carol the Dabbler
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The REAL Magnum Movie

#1 Post by Carol the Dabbler »

I've been doing some daydreaming about the Magnum movie they SHOULD be making, with most of the original cast. My reveries have borrowed some details from ideas posted on other threads here, and I apologize for not sifting through those posts to see whom to credit for what. But here's the way I see it:

Shortly after Magnum was reunited with Lily, the Navy assigned him (at his request) to the Tidewater area, near his family. He and Lily are still there, though he is now retired and she is in her mid-twenties, in grad school. TC reconciled with his ex-wife and returned to California to be with his family. Rick stammered so long at the altar that Cleo finally stomped out, but then on a trip back to Chicago, he reconnected with his high-school sweetheart, and felt so comfortable with her that he was finally able to make a commitment, and is living in Chicago. Higgins wrote to Magnum for several years, but the letters gradually grew further between and finally stopped a while back.

Then out of the blue, Magnum gets a telegram notifying him that Higgins had died and left Robin's Nest to him. He is saddened by the death of his old friend, but Lily is between school terms, and thinks a trip back to Hawaii might do them both some good, so they fly over.

They find the estate grounds and house in very poor repair (as they apparently now are). Magnum finds this odd, considering Higgins' usual perfectionism. Then in the garden, he finds two professionally carved gravestones labelled "Zeus" and "Apollo" (with dates). Next to them are two wooden stakes with the names of the lads' successors in faded marker pen. And finally, there are two fresh mounds with no markers at all. These hasty unmarked graves convince Magnum that there was more to Higgins' death than a simple heart attack.

He recalls that Higgins had a secret compartment in one of his desk drawers (I believe that was established in an episode, but if not, Magnum can now suspect that Higgins had such a compartment, and find it), and checks to see if Higgins left him a message -- which of course he did.

Magnum unfolds the paper and reads it. (If John Hillerman is willing, it would be wonderful if he did Higgins' voice-over -- he could literally phone it in -- but if not, Magnum could simply read the letter aloud.) It turns out that a group of baddies from Higgins' old army intelligence days have resurfaced in Hawaii. Higgins was able to discover the basics of what they are up to, but fears that they have spotted and recognized him. He trusts that, if he does not live to see justice done, Magnum will complete the job. He also mentions that he inherited the estate from Robin, upon the latter's death some years previously (thus continuing the mystery, is he or isn't he?).

This is clearly a job for Our Guys! Magnum phones TC and Rick, and they are soon en route with their sons (who are in their late 30's and very early twenties, respectively). As someone already suggested, the two of them proceed to make fools of themselves, competing for Lily's attention. (Needless to say, the three offspring are played by popular, up-and-coming actors, who will draw in the young crowd).

I will be the first to say that this is NOT a plot, merely a framework that a suitable plot can be inserted into. The real plot (left for someone else, perhaps a professional screenwriter, to invent) consists of what the baddies are up to and how Our Guys and Their Kids bring them to justice.

Once that's taken care of, Magnum and Lily decide to stay at the estate and restore it. (We see the beginnings of that effort, financed -- in real life -- by the production company, hopefully leading to a new life for the estate, with guided tours, and eventually as a bed & breakfast.) TC's family and Rick's wife fly over for a celebration. They all hold a proper memorial service for Higgins, and commission headstones for the other four dogs. As someone else also suggested, Lily's scholarly fiance could show up at this point. She plans to transfer to the University of Hawaii to complete her studies.

Whatever other Magnum regulars are available should definitely be included. Last time I checked, Kathleen Lloyd, Lance LeGault, and Jean Bruce Scott were still living, but alas, Gillian Dobb, Kwan Hi Lim, Jeff McCay, and Elisha Cook were not.
Carol

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#2 Post by MACattack »

No new lads?
I always imagined Zeus and Apollo the III
I just don't give a damn!

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Carol the Dabbler
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#3 Post by Carol the Dabbler »

Hi, MACattack. I wasn't very explicit about that, was I? Here's what I think happened:

Zeus & Apollo died of old age (and presumably at different times), at which point Higgins of course acquired new guard dogs. (My feeling is that he named them after different Greek gods, not Zeus & Apollo.) This was all before the baddies showed up.

Then one day Higgins noticed some unusual activity or a familiar face somewhere on the island, which made him suspect that some of his former adversaries were back in business, right there in Hawaii this time. He succeeded in finding them, and began spending nearly all of his time keeping them under surveillance. This is when the estate started to go downhill.

At some point, the baddies spotted Higgins. Perhaps they recognized him from the old days, or perhaps they merely noticed that someone was following them. At any rate, they began to keep an eye on him. On one occasion, they infiltrated the estate, were attacked by the new guard dogs, and killed them. Higgins buried the dogs hastily and put temporary markers on their graves, thinking to replace them with real headstones once the baddies were taken care of.

Once again, Higgins acquired new dogs to guard the estate. Perhaps they were also killed by the baddies, at the same time that they killed Higgins, or perhaps they died of starvation before Higgins' body was discovered. In either case, they were buried by someone who didn't know their names.

The baddies made Higgins' death look like either an accident or a heart attack, so there was no official investigation. In fact, during his months or years of surveillance, he had lost touch with all of his friends (and Agatha had died), so there was no one left to even suspect foul play. Except Magnum, of course.
Carol

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#4 Post by MACattack »

Sounds good. I always thought Magnum would end up with the Estate and would have to clean up a big mess. Is the Ferrari still there?
I just don't give a damn!

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Carol the Dabbler
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#5 Post by Carol the Dabbler »

Hmmm -- the Ferrari would HAVE to be there, wouldn't it? But don't ask me how it managed to survive all the neglect and mayhem!
Carol

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#6 Post by robspace54 »

Carol I can tell that you put your thinking cap on and got a lot of good vibs. I like the idea of what Magnum would be doing now... and I have penned three stories about the present myself (see fanfiction dot net).

I think we have been on the same wavelength. :-) Keep writing - no need to wait for someone else. Let the Muses speak! **

Rob

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#7 Post by firefly »

Carol the Dabbler wrote:

first off let me say i love your story outline!

Zeus & Apollo died of old age (and presumably at different times), at which point Higgins of course acquired new guard dogs. (My feeling is that he named them after different Greek gods, not Zeus & Apollo.)
perhaps i am overly sentimental, but here is what i invisioned. as the years had passed higgins had come to a point of true appreciation for the friendships that had meant so much to him. breaking with tradition he opts for honoring those friends that had meant the most to him; "thomas... agatha.... patrol!"

ok, i am a sap.

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#8 Post by J.J. Walters »

I like your outline Carol; it's real solid. However, I would vote for having Higgins "return from dead" (i.e. he's not really dead, everybody just thinks he is). Have him make a surprise entrance at the very end. ;)
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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#9 Post by Carol the Dabbler »

Hey, I'd love that! Kinda depends on how John Hillerman votes, though.

I do want to emphasize that a lot of that outline was cribbed from other people's ideas on other threads in this forum. Probably my biggest contribution is figuring out how to make Higgins a pivotal character (even if Mr. Hillerman declines to participate).
Carol

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#10 Post by robspace54 »

Western Union pulled the plug on their telegram service Jan. 2006, but sold the service to American Telegram.

So in the plot Higgins has "died." What if a burned body was found on the estate inside a car. No dental records (perfect teeth) but study shows a man of about 90 with some arthritis, and evidence of having been shot before (I don't recall how many times higgins was winged). This might set things up for a Higgins apperance later?

And perhaps the deceased was killed with Blue-Ringed Octopus saliva (look it up)? Here is where Lilly (marine biology grad student) would get to use her sluething skills. Also when TC and Rick's boys get to help or hinder.
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#11 Post by zebra3 »

Lets face it, without the original cast, the movie would be awful. And there is zero chance of the studios inviting the cast back. So I don't even want to think about this. It's depressing.
"Burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me."

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#12 Post by KENJI »

I have to agree that without the original cast it would be awful and I don't want to see Magnum before going to Hawaii/Robin's Nest/Ferrari.......
What I would like to see the studio do is bring back the main characters AND for a villian/bad guy bring someone in with present day star power that will help with the box office receipts. This way everybody is happy and it stays true to the show. If you wanted to change one person in the cast, I think it should be Lily, who is all grown-up now and changed for sure. In fact she could also be played by a present day star with a huge following! As John Hillerman gets older, the chances of him starring as JQH are getting slimmer and slimmer. I would like to see at least a cameo from him behind his desk, hear his voice on the phone (like Robin) or his character does die if John can't do either of these. NO ONE should play Higgins or the main characters other than the originals - period! I agree the dogs have passed and I like the ideas of new ones with Zeus the III etc. or new doberman pups at the very end of the show being introduced.
Studios do these movies and wonder why they bomb and that's because they don't listen to the fans (I thought the customer was always right). You put Tom Selleck and crew in the movie and I'll glady pay to go see it, but if you replace them I will not support their decision and hope it bombs miserably. Invest the money in what made the show a hit in the first place and it will do just fine. Last comment: As for replacements, what type of Ferrari would be at the estate after all these years? It is hard to replace the 308, but the 458 Italia is pretty nice! I think the old 308 should make a cameo in the show parked on the estate as a subtle reminder or maybe not...... Robin now has a huge collection of vintage Ferraris and Thomas looks at the collection and chooses the 308 to drive when he is called back to the estate and turns to us and gives us that famous smile...cue the music...... :wink:

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#13 Post by Styles Bitchley »

KENJI wrote:I have to agree that without the original cast it would be awful and I don't want to see Magnum before going to Hawaii/Robin's Nest/Ferrari.......
What I would like to see the studio do is bring back the main characters AND for a villian/bad guy bring someone in with present day star power that will help with the box office receipts. This way everybody is happy and it stays true to the show. If you wanted to change one person in the cast, I think it should be Lily, who is all grown-up now and changed for sure. In fact she could also be played by a present day star with a huge following! As John Hillerman gets older, the chances of him starring as JQH are getting slimmer and slimmer. I would like to see at least a cameo from him behind his desk, hear his voice on the phone (like Robin) or his character does die if John can't do either of these. NO ONE should play Higgins or the main characters other than the originals - period! I agree the dogs have passed and I like the ideas of new ones with Zeus the III etc. or new doberman pups at the very end of the show being introduced.
Studios do these movies and wonder why they bomb and that's because they don't listen to the fans (I thought the customer was always right). You put Tom Selleck and crew in the movie and I'll glady pay to go see it, but if you replace them I will not support their decision and hope it bombs miserably. Invest the money in what made the show a hit in the first place and it will do just fine. Last comment: As for replacements, what type of Ferrari would be at the estate after all these years? It is hard to replace the 308, but the 458 Italia is pretty nice! I think the old 308 should make a cameo in the show parked on the estate as a subtle reminder or maybe not...... Robin now has a huge collection of vintage Ferraris and Thomas looks at the collection and chooses the 308 to drive when he is called back to the estate and turns to us and gives us that famous smile...cue the music...... :wink:
I think the trickiest thing about a Magnum movie - in the theatre - is that Tom Selleck's portrayal of Magnum is what sells the show. As we've seen with the A-Team movie, it is possible to recast the show and be successful. But as we know, Magnum isn't the A-Team. The nuances of the relationships are fabulous once you know the characters and the world of MPI, but the vast majority of the ticket buying public haven't seen a Magnum episode in 25 years.

With that said, a re-cast show would probably revolve around the plot of the pilot, where people would get to understand who this lucky guy is and how he got into this situation. Anything else (that is likely to please us) would have to be produced as a made for tv movie. Maybe the Spike network could finance such a thing - market is as a real "guy show" type of thing. That is, if the Universal people would go along with it.

But would I pay to see a remake with a new Magnum in the theatre? Probably. I'd be critical, but I couldn't resist.
"How fiendishly deceptive of you Magnum. I could have sworn I was hearing the emasculation of a large rodent."

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#14 Post by Dewey »

MACattack wrote:No new lads?
I always imagined Zeus and Apollo the III
So wierd, I was wanting to get two new pups, and name them Zues and Apollo. I was thinking this today on the way to work. And then I read this. WOW..

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#15 Post by Carol the Dabbler »

I've heard of cases where a studio made a movie and got sued by someone who had come up with a similar idea. I don't believe that such suits generally go very far, but studios do try to avoid them. They might even throw out an idea if something similar had been published elsewhere.

So, just in case They actually do get around to making an original-cast Magnum movie, and just in case They like some of the ideas I've posted here, or happen to come up with similar ideas on their own, I wish to state for the record:

I hereby relinquish any legal claim to the Magnum Movie ideas I have posted on this and other threads on this forum. Please feel free to use them as you see fit in a movie (or tv-movie) starring most of the original cast.

Of course, I'd be honored to see my name in small print somewhere in the credits (e.g., Special Thanks to Carol the Dabbler). And I SURE wouldn't say no to a studio pass to watch the filming!
Carol

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