Film Twitter has been pitching movies that they wish they could see using only images this week, and it turns out filmmaker James Gunn’s suggestion is more than just a passing joke.
Gunn tweeted out an image of the classic TV show Gilligan’s Island, along with a classic drawing of cannibalistic behaviour, and followed it up with a pretty exciting, if slightly stomach churning—there was once a Donner Party-esque cannibal movie version of Gilligan’s Island in the works from Being John Malkovich and I’m Thinking of Ending Things filmmaker Charlie Kaufman that never happened, and Gunn himself tried to make it happen.
“A true story: In the late 90’s screenwriting GOAT Charlie Kaufman pitched a movie version of Gilligan’s Island where the islanders, starving & desperate, started killing & eating each other. Warner Bros wanted to do it – but Sherwood Schwartz, the creator, said no way,” tweeted Gunn.
“After Guardians I tried to resurrect the idea & wanted to direct. It seemed Warners & Charlie were interested but, this time, the estate of the late Sherwood Schwartz nixed it. Anyway, if the Schwartz estate changes their mind, I’m here,” he continued.
Gilligan’s Island, the classic sitcom centring around a bumbling group of individuals who get stranded on a desert island, has been revived numerous times over the years through television films, ads, guest spots and more, but the idea of Kaufman and Gunn working together on an ultra-gory darkly funny adaptation is far more exciting than anything else that’s been pitched around the franchise over the years.
Gunn just completed his Peacemaker series for HBO Max, continuing on his film The Suicide Squad with John Cena in the show’s titular role, and is heading into production on the long-awaited Guardians of the Galaxy 3, for which Will Poulter was recently added to the cast as beloved cosmic marvel character Adam Warlock.
If he needs a superhero palate cleanser, hopefully he’ll consider making a knock off version with Charlie Kaufman called Milligan’s Island after he’s done.
Read our interview with James Gunn about his long, strange, emotional journey away from Marvel, over to DC, and back again here:
Oh, and sorry for covering up Ginger in that photo above.
