Who should play Magnum in the movie?

[Waltstasz]

Well, what does everyone think? Unfortunately, it appears that Selleck won't be in the movie so it looks like we'll have to settle for somebody else. But who? Most of the actors that I've heard suggested for the role don't seem like they would be a good fit: George Clooney, Ben Afflack , Vince Vaughn. Matthew McConaughey might be able to pull it off, IMDB lists him as 5'10" though .

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My darling, you look ravishing... A-heh, heh heh... A little champagne?

[J.J. Walters]

Vince Vaughn would be my (second *) pick - he has the height, the acting chops, he does comedy very well, and he's athletic enough for the action scenes.

* Selleck, of course, is still my first pick.

[KC]

Clooney would be my pick. Even though he's been voted "The Sexiest Man Alive" I still feel he possesses the self deprecating style as Selleck. Vaughn doesn’t come off as macho enough to portray a former Naval Intelligence office, i.e. SEAL and McConaughey annoys me.

[Waltstasz]

That's what so difficult about picking the right actor. They have to be relatively fit and believable as a military guy, but still be able to be funny and sort of, well, bumbling, for lack of a better term. It'll be hard to find someone that can pull off the balance that Selleck seemed to achieve so effortlessly. I'm starting to think that it would be better to find some 'unknown' actor for the part.

And don't even get me started on Higgins. Hillerman played that character brilliantly.

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My darling, you look ravishing... A-heh, heh heh... A little champagne?

[Shermy]

I think the main audience for a Magnum P.i. movie would still prefer to see Selleck back in the role. Otherwise, it would really just be another action/comedy using the Magnum name.

[KC]

I agree but I also don't think a studio would green light a feature film with a 62 year old Tom Selleck reprising a role last seen 19 years ago. It could work as a series of television movies, which we've seen Selleck flourish in recently. The Jesse Stone movies, his TNT westerns; Last Stand at Saber River, Crossfire Trail & Monte Walsh prove his talents are most effective on television.
A feature film would be best, in my opinion, if it took the same characters but moved them into current times. I think Michael Mann’s new vision of Miami Vice is a good template to use, he took a series that is indelibly linked to the 80’s and modernized it, beefed it up to fit into today’s world. Magnum could be terrific with this sort of formula but of course it would be less violent and much, much funnier.

[Shermy]

I agree that a movie with the original cast would probably best be suited to the small screen. There, it would surely have great ratings and a better chance of reaching its core audience of older viewers (who don't tend to rush out on opening weekends).

The only difference between Magnum and other recent tv films is that Selleck truly made the character his own. Shows like Starsky and Hutch, Charlie's Angels, Miami Vice, etc. didn't really feature characters that could only be played by a certain actor. For example, the most important aspect of Miami Vice was not the actors, but the sense of style it conveyed.

In this respect, it's almost similar to Shatner as Kirk, Stallone as Rocky, or Ford as Indy. In such cases, the actors are so heavily identified with the roles, that audiences really don't care how old the actors are. Of course, it's unlikely that the studios will consider this, preferring instead to market the film to younger audiences that do not remember the original show. (Which is understandable).

[J.J. Walters]

Hey, great feedback guys.

I've been pulling for a made-for-tv movie for years. It's perfect for that kind of format. The Rockford Files, a show closely associated with Magnum for a variety of reasons, successfully made several made-for-tv movies, as has many other TV shows from that era.

I know Selleck was offered several chances to make a television movie of Magnum (with the original cast, too), but rejected them because he wanted to hold out for a major motion picture release, which ultimately never happened for him. Long time MPI producer Chas. Floyd Johnson recently reiterated this fact in an interview. I can sort of see why Selleck did it, but man that's tough to swallow! There could have been a movie .... with the original cast!



Oh well, at least we will always have the episodes!

[KC]

I'm still holding out hope of a TV movie because of the success CBS has had with Selleck's Jessie Stone movies but I have read that the major networks have all but dropped TV movies for good. However, IMDB does shows another Jessie Stone movie in the works, so who knows, maybe we will see our favorite PI, I mean private investigator, on the small screen once again.

[Shermy]

I can understand Selleck holding out for a theatrical release back in the 90's, especially back when he had Tom Clancy willing to lend support. But ironically, now it looks as though his best chance will be if a big screen version falls through. Perhaps then we will be able to see the original cast back- if only on the small screen.

I'm also a little surprised that Selleck isn't interested in the next best thing: a series of made-for-cable films. This way, the film would not only debut with multiple airings, but would certainly be repeated more often than network tv. Selleck's westerns did very well on cable, and he was obviously pleased with the amount of support they received.