Dallas News Blog

Patrick Michels

Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray at Southfork Ranch at the Dallas reunion in November '08

​Can't believe it -- we get to use our "Ugh, More New About the Dallas Movie" slug again, long after that remake died a slow death some time in '07. Only this time, according to The New York Times, J.R. Ewing's not getting the big-screen makeover, courtesy John Travolta or whoever was on deck to play the oilman way back when, but a TV do-over. And it appears as though it's headed to TNT. Writes Brooks Barnes:

The show would focus on the next generation of Ewings, namely John Ross (the offspring of J.R. and Sue Ellen for those of you who are Dallas neophytes) and Christopher (the adopted son of Bobby and Pam who, devotees will remember, is the progeny of Sue Ellen's sister, Kristin, the famed shooter of J.R.)

As always with gestating creative projects, it's no guarantee that TNT will pull the trigger on a full-blown series once the pilot is made. But members of the original cast -- including Larry Hagman, Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy -- have been contacted for their participation. Some, if not all, are on board -- at least with their blessing.

Warners and TNT wouldn't talk to The Times, which says Fox is still trying to get that movie off the ground (dear sweet fancy Moses). But I've got a call into Janis Burklund, head of the Dallas Film Commission, to see what she's heard. Guess it's time to whip out those "Shoot JR in Dallas" bumper stickers again. Wonder if Laura Miller's got any left.

Update: Burklund tells Unfair Park she was unaware of specific plans to redo Dallas for the small screen. But, she adds rather cryptically, "There are several projects we're dealing with going by 'Untitled.''' Any of 'em from Warners or TNT? She'd rather not say.

They just won't give up. It's been months since we've mentioned that left-for-dead Dallas movie, which was scheduled to be shot around these parts in November till a new director and new writers were brought in for yet another do-over. But there's, ahem, new news, courtesy Dallas-based movie site Cinema Blend, where Josh Tyler offers several, ahem, scoops -- namely, that Rob Lowe and Lost's Matthew Fox have been added to the cast as, respectively, Cliff Barnes and Bobby Ewing. They'll join the decidedly B-list of actors recently affixed to the project: James Brolin, Diane Ladd, Minka Kelly, Julie Benz, Kevin Conway, Katie Cassidy and Paul Logan. Oh, and John Travolta.

As for the story, reports Tyler's scooper: “The film will deal generally with the introduction of Pamela Barnes into the Ewing family. The script is based mainly on the episode 'Digger's Daughter' with also some elements of the 'Election' and 'Spy in the House' episode." OK, then. But it gets better: Original Dallas writers are working on yet another made-for-TV reunion movie, if they can get the old gang back together. Here's hoping... --Robert Wilonsky

Say it ain't so: Dallas -- the movie that will not die -- is still alive, despite the best efforts of several screenwriters and two now-former directors (Robert Luketic and Gurinder Chadha) who couldn't get the corpse out of the ground, much less off it. Reports Variety, the movie will now be a straight-up spoof -- thanks to the hiring of Betty Thomas, the former Hill Street Blues star-turned-director -- still starring John Travolta as J.R. Ewing.

Thomas -- whose filmography includes the likes of I Spy with Owen Wilson and Howard Stern's Private Parts -- might be directing a screenplay from Hot Rod writer Pam Brady (who also co-wrote, with Matt Stone and Trey Parker, Team America: World Police). There's still no cast, aside from Travolta -- and, um, production's set to start in January, here and elsewhere if all goes according to what's turning into a very old plan. This thing gets better-sounding every year. --Robert Wilonsky

So, the big-screen Dallas was dead as of last week. Now, it's back on, according to John Travolta, who says he's meeting with a new director -- that'd be the third, by the way -- and hoping to start shooting here and elsewhere in early '08. Fine. This is even better: Yesterday, some dude posted to YouTube his rendition of the Dallas TV show theme with, ahem, lyrics -- which ... uh ... yeah ... include the phrase "in the heart of old humid Dallas." And here's the guy acting out the Season Two finale. Travolta, Schmavolta. --Robert Wilonsky

For more than a year it's been a constant will-they-or-won't-they tug o' war over the making of the big-screen Dallas. First the city, including the mayor, begged producers to shoot J.R. in Dallas, since, at the time, there wasn't any official state dough in it for the studio. Then directors and screenwriters changed. Then the cast flipped and flopped. And then came word only a few days ago that the movie was dead -- again. And the source on the latest rumors of the movie's demise was none other than Larry Hagman hisself, who told Dutch TV earlier this week that he'd been told it was adiosed for good, Makes sense: New Regency, who was making the movie, no longer features it as a coming attraction.

Only this site -- UltimateDallas -- says it's still a go: "A representative from New Regency, the production company behind the movie, informed ultimatedallas.com that the project is 'still active,' but had no further comment at this point." Which means you will never hear about Dallas the movie ever, ever again. Maybe. --Robert Wilonsky

Looks like the big-screen version of Dallas is being pushed further off the starting line, thanks to the just-announced pregnancy of director Gurinder Chadha. She tells the Associated Press in a story that just moved that she's expecting twins -- "and plans to name them after Bollywood stars Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, who recently announced their engagement," which is, uh, cool. But more to the point, the maker of Bend It Like Beckham and Bride & Prejudice tells the AP, "No film experience can compare with this [pregnancy]. In fact, I've put my big project Dallas on hold until the babies come." They're due in June. --Robert Wilonsky

Maybe--oh, please, God, please, please, prettyplease--this'll be the last item we ever run about the big-screen adaptation of the movie Dallas. I know--you figured the thing was already on Cinemax; that's how long we've been discussing this would-be disaster. Really gonna hate to see it go adios, mofo.

But that's what the New York Post suggested yesterday--a month after Variety reported that its production company was firing the entire cast, save for John "J.R." Travolta; rewriting the script yet again; and pushing back the shoot till January 2007, if that. One insider tells the tab, "it'll be a miracle if this film ever gets made." Oh, really? That's such a stunner.

Probably most bummed about this debacle is Dallas Film Commission director Janis Burklund, who spent months trying to raise private dough so she could offer producer Michael Costigan and New Regency and 20th Century Fox incentives to shoot in Dallas. "Shoot JR in DALLAS"? Aw, leave the poor dead horse alone already. --Robert Wilonsky

For what it's worth, Patrick Duffy--the guy who played Bobby Ewing and, even better, the Man from Atlantis--is against the remake of Dallas, which is on hold while producers find a new, cost-cutting cast. Says Duffy: "I think they'll discover that Dallas is better left how it was. I got a sneak of one of the script--I can't tell you how--but I read it and I was, like, 'Wow! That's crap!'" Wow, that's awesome! There's also a piece about the Dallas delay in the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, which you might be able to find if EW didn't have one of the world's worst Web sites in the history of the Interwebs. "Hopefully, [we] can gear up in the spring," says producer Sanford Panitch, and don't you threaten us, pal.

In other completely useless celebrity news possessing, at this point, neglible local ties: Former Richardson girl Jessica Simpson knew when her marriage to Nick Lachey was over (oddly, it was not when they said, "I do") and doesn't mind her former preacher daddy talking about her boobies. "I've had double D's for a long time," she says. "Are you kidding?" Now that's crap!

Speaking of locally born blonde actresses, on November 5 Dallas native Morgan Fairchild will be honored by Women in Film during their annual Topaz Awards gala at the Dallas Museum of Art. I had planned on making fun of this till I scanned her filmography and realized, ya know, Fairchild's actually had a pretty respectable run on network television; she was great on Friends as Chandler's mom, if nothing else. And she appeared on an episode of Dallas, which brings us full circle. Also being honored at the Topaz shindig is city councilperson Elba Garcia, who's getting the Dallas Film Commission Advocacy Award for bringing the Spanish soap opera La Ley Bel Silencio to town, where it shot for Telemundo for a whole six months. Next year, Angela Hunt's scheduled to get an award for owning two television sets. --Robert Wilonsky

It's been a good long while since we've had any news about the big-screen version of Dallas; I know, sucks, doesn't it? Well, the issue of Entertainment Weekly arriving at subscribers' doorsteps tomorrow has a short item about the movie, which seems to be moving along at a dead snail's pace. Because reading EW is just like not reading EW, here's what the magazine I dearly and sincerely love has to say in the "story" clumsily headlined, "The big-screen Dallas update is finally moving forward after the director and star Jennifer Lopez skip town." Read on, if you can make it past the first three sentences. It's after the jump.

Because I swear we will cover every aspect of the Dallas movie, from pre-production to its first screening on an airplane, here's today's utterly inessential tidbit: Seems Jessica Simpson, who actually grew up in the area, has been Jock-blocked from the role of Lucy Ewing, which is now going to Katie Cassidy, who was on 7th Heaven but is probably better known as the daughter of Keith Partridge hisself, David Cassidy. Katie's also in the new Adam Sandler movie Click. Hard to believe, but that's all I gotta say about this. --Robert Wilonsky