The Comedy Reboot Mike Myers Turned Down In Order To Make Wayne's World
Plenty of "Saturday Night Live" cast members became bona fide movie stars in the 1990s. Adam Sandler broke out with films like "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore," and Eddie Murphy evolved his existing movie star persona into something slightly more family-friendly with movies such as "The Nutty Professor." With all of that, one particularly notable film career that came out of "SNL" was that of Mike Myers, who kicked things into high gear by adapting the recurring sketch "Wayne's World" into a feature in 1992.
"Wayne's World" ultimately ended up serving as a significant catalyst for Myers's career as a movie star, leading to a filmography of over 50 on-screen roles (via IMDb). From "Wayne's World," he would go on to other beloved comedies such as "So I Married An Axe Murderer" and the "Austin Powers" franchise. However, it turns out that Myers was given a chance to remake an iconic film from the 1960s before making the decision to adapt "Wayne's World" into a feature instead.
Mike Myers was offered a chance to remake The Graduate
Mike Myers arguably solidified his status as a Hollywood star with "Wayne's World," but back in the early 1990s, he was actually offered to do a remake of "The Graduate" instead of the "SNL" sketch adaptation. In a recent interview with Variety while promoting the release of his new Netflix project "The Pentaverate," Myers admitted that "Saturday Night Live" creator Lorne Michaels once pitched him on a potential remake of the beloved 1967 comedy starring Dustin Hoffman. The film centers on an aimless young man named Benjamin Braddock (Hoffman) who returns home after graduating college and ultimately finds himself seduced by an older woman named Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), while ultimately falling in love with her daughter (Katharine Ross).
"So he pitched me a movie. He said, 'I want you to do a remake of "The Graduate.' And I said, 'I don't think that's a good idea,'" Myers said, recalling his discussions with Michaels about the project. While likely not for lack of interest in the source material, Myers ultimately opted out because "The Graduate" did not, in his eyes, warrant a remake. Myers explained, "The Graduate' doesn't need to be remade. A little man should not stand in a great man's shoes. It's a perfect film." As a result, he made the decision to work with Michaels on "Wayne's World," developing a comedic feature from his own "SNL" material instead.
Myers didn't remake The Graduate, but he did ultimately spoof it
Mike Myers ultimately opted to steer clear of remaking "The Graduate," and instead focused his efforts on "Wayne's World." The gamble eventually paid off, as "Wayne's World" proved to be a massive hit and quickly became a franchise in its own right. However, despite not actually remaking "The Graduate," Myers did get to play in that sandbox when "Wayne's World 2" was released the following year. Specifically, Myers and the creative team behind "Wayne's World 2" used the framework of the climax of "The Graduate" for the 1993 sequel.
Directly spoofing the final sequence of "The Graduate," Wayne races up the coast of California in a desperate attempt to prevent Cassandra (Tia Carrere) from marrying Bobby Cahn (Christopher Walken), leading to a confrontation at a church that is a beat-for-beat recreation of the final moments of "The Graduate." "Wayne's World 2" is far from the first or last comedy to parody "The Graduate," as iconic properties like "The Simpsons" have similarly spoofed this scene, but it's clear that the beloved 1967 romantic dramedy was still at the forefront of Myers's mind when he was working on his first major comedy franchise.