Permut
"The Love Boat" movie is sailing again at Paramount after sitting in drydock for half a dozen years.
Producer David Permut has ramped up development of the project, aimed as a broadly comic reinvention of the hit TV series with the Bermuda Triangle as a destination. He's seeking writers and planning a hip-hop version of the skein's theme song, originally sung by Jack Jones ("Love, exciting and new...").
"The Love Boat" is "unique among series in that it has worldwide recognition, having been broadcast in over 70 countries," Permut said. "We have a unique and irreverent take that will turn this innocent show on its head."
The show, produced by Aaron Spelling, ran from 1977-86. Spelling and David Krieff will exec produce and Permut Presentations VP Steve Longi will co-produce.
Spelling and Permut began developing the project a decade ago but it sailed into rough waters in 1998 when Spelling shuttered his feature film operations to focus on TV.
Par set up the project with Permut in the wake of Warner/Dimension's goofy movie version of TV series "Starsky & Hutch," which has grossed a solid $67 million domestically in three weeks.
"Starsky & Hutch" is the fifth feature based on a Spelling series, following "The Mod Squad," the two "Charlie's Angels" and "S.W.A.T."
Permut was one of the first producers to bring a TV series to the bigscreen with 1987's "Dragnet," which featured Dan Aykroyd, Tom Hanks and Christopher Plummer. He also helped develop the feature version of "The Little Rascals" for Universal.
Permut was a producer on Paramount's "Face/Off" and has another pair of comedies, "Rewind" and "Adopt-a-Con," set up with the studio along with Par-based Latham Entertainment.
Other Permut projects include "Brother Sam" at Universal, "Kings for a Day" at DreamWorks, "Youth in Revolt" at Lions Gate and "White Out" at Warner Bros.
Contact Dave McNary at
dave.mcnary@variety.com