Will There Be A Caddyshack Reboot?

If there's a single rule dominating the "blockbuster or bust" Hollywood business model, it's that nothing is sacred. If there's a second rule, it's that the only good ideas are ones that have already been proven good. With those two guiding ideologies in place, the so-called "dream factory" has more or less transformed into a veritable remake, reboot, and re-imagine factory of late. Given the recent success of remakes like Bradley Cooper's Oscar-winning A Star Is Born, there's little reason to think the reboot train will stop anytime soon.

Still, one would like to think certain iconic properties are more or less untouchable, even in a Hollywood all-but-consumed with rehashing past cinematic glories. For the comedy set, one of those "untouchable" properties would have to be the 1980s slobs vs. snobs golf classic Caddyshack. Modestly budgeted, and directed with low-brow flair by Harold Ramis (Groundhog Day), Caddyshack was released at the height of the 1980 summer movie season, becoming an unexpected hit after scoring nearly $40 million at the box office, and earning surprisingly solid notes from the critical set. It also made full-blown movies stars of Chevy Chase and Bill Murray, who'd spent the late-seventies cutting their comedic teeth on the set of Saturday Night Live. 

In the years since its release, the film has only grown in esteem, being hailed by casual movie lovers and bonafide cineastes alike as one of the seminal comedies of the 1980s. Those years have also seen one sequel released in 1988's utterly forgettable Caddyshack II, and numerous attempts at straight remakes ushered into production. 

To date, none of those remakes have ever come close to getting made. It remains uncertain if one ever will.

That unknown status will come as great news to fans of the original Caddyshack, as many believe the film's gonzo mix of high-concept class comedy and unabashedly low-brow raunchiness simply cannot be improved upon. Likewise, the idea of recasting the roles that Chevy Chase and Bill Murray made iconic in the film is shudder-worthy, for most. It seems, however, one of the key creative forces behind the original Caddyshack film doesn't prescribe to that logic, and he's been actively lobbying to put a remake together as recently as 2017.

That man is producer Jon Peters, who has shepherded the likes of An American Werewolf in London (1981), Batman (1989), Ali (2001) and Superman Returns (2005) through production, throughout his storied career. Yes, he was also the producer on the beloved 1976 version of A Star Is Born. Given that fact, one would have to presume Peters was so encouraged by the reception to the Lady Gaga-fronted A Star Is Born, that he started eyeing other properties from his past for similar treatment. With Caddyshack's legacy being what it is, one could hardly blame him for trying to capitalize on it.

While Peters' planned remake has yet to materialize, the producer told The Hollywood Reporter in a colorful 2017 interview that an "old guard vs. millennial golfers" themed Caddyshack remake was next up for him once A Star Is Born was officially in the world. He also told the publication he was eyeing his old buddy Jack Nicholson for a major role in the film. So, even if we've heard little of that remake in ensuing years, it still sort of feels like a matter of when Peters gets his Caddyshack remake off the ground, rather than if.

That's largely because Jon Peters has proven himself a force to be reckoned in his decades-long career as a producer. Just given his propensity for getting projects through the pipeline, it's a safe bet that if a Caddyshack remake ever does come to fruition, he'll be the man pulling the strings somewhere in the shadows. But even in spite of Peters' desire to forge ahead, he may have trouble finding someone to helm the Caddyshack remake, as modern comedic filmmakers appear to be wary of such a project.

You can count Broken Lizard guru Jay Chandrasekhar among them, for the record. While the Super Troopers (2001) and The Dukes of Hazard (2005) director didn't name Peters specifically, he told Film School Rejects in 2012 he was indeed approached to direct the remake, and refused to play ball, believing the original too good to improve upon. "I was actually approached by someone high up in the filmmaking world about remaking Cadddyshack. I said, 'I think people will string me up if I tried to do that.' I thought about it for a day, and I called them up and said, 'I'd have loved to have had this conversation, but I could never.' And I don't know. I don't believe you can remake comedy films that are great and have them really work. I think you can remake serious films that were bad and make them into comedies or something with a great idea and work on it, but I don't think you should ever remake a film that was good. I think that's just asking for trouble."

If ever there was a time for a movie of Caddyshack's particular makeup to head into production, however, it's now — as the modern world is arguably more defined by economic and social division than at any point in modern history. While average movie lovers and filmmakers alike seemingly cannot in good conscience encourage a remake of Caddyshack, someone should probably still utilize a similar approach in a broad comedy format, as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, the fairly tame generational approach Peters seemingly wants to go for doesn't fit that bill. And even if he gets his Caddyshack remake off the ground, it's highly unlikely he'll be able to talk Jack Nicholson into appearing in the film. Though no official word has ever come down from Nicholson, the acting titan (now in his 80s) has more or less retired from the movie biz, having not appeared in a film since the 2010 rom-com flop How Do You Know?, and after exiting the high-profile remake of Toni Erdmann a couple years back, little has been heard from the Nicholson camp since.

Things being what they are, the idea of Nicholson coming out of retirement for a remake of a classic eighties comedy just doesn't track, no matter how much the man loves a good round of golf. But if there is one possible reason for Nicholson to make such a bold move at this point in his life, it might be to wipe the foul taste of How Do You Know? from the mouths of his fans, and end his acting career on a higher note. Again, a Caddyshack remake would hardly seem to suffice, on that front, but stranger things have happened in Hollywood. Never say never, right?