Another bit of exciting news from Jason Bateman [again via MTV Movies Blog] regarding the Arrested Development movie: “the ball has started rolling down the hill again.” Okay, so it’s not too exciting, nor is it revelatory in the least, but at least he says all the creatives are on board. Meanwhile, the actor also commented on his role in the American movie adaptation of the British TV mini-series State of Play, which, combined with MTV’s other post about the American TV series remake/adaptation of the British TV series Spaced, has me putting a little thought into the subject of theatrical spin-offs versus movie adaptations.

Certainly those of us who are fans of a series would rather see it continued with all original talent on board (even if we are cynically fearing the result) than see it adapted into a movie version many years down the line, whether the approach be faithful or parody or an attempt at both. Try to imagine another cast playing the Arrested Development and Sex and the City characters. Imagine the pointlessness a future X-Files remake/adaptation compared with the immediate cinematic extension we received. Or live-action versions of The Simpsons or South Park somewhere down the line rather than the big-screen supplements.

As long as Hollywood is keen on making movies based on TV series, anyway, it’s for the best that we get more projects like Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Serenity, The Naked Gun, Jackass: The Movie and the supposedly in-the-works The State Movie (and 24: The Movie and Lost: The Movie etc.) than projects like Lost in Space, Bewitched, Get Smart, The Dukes of Hazard and the long-in-the-works Dallas and I Dream of Jeannie. But of course they then need to be made while the original cast is still available. So, here are a few movies I’d like to see sometime soon:

1. Spaced - As long as Edgar Wright is complaining about the Americanization of the series that shot him and Simon Pegg to stardom, why not simply carry the original into the realm of film. He’s apparently got a lot of things in his pipeline right now, but I’d be willing to wait. And certainly Jessica Hynes (ne Stevenson) could use some more exposure (I still don’t understand why she didn’t get to transcend the show as much as Wright, Pegg and Nick Frost did).
2. The Young Ones - As long as I’m waiting for that British series about flatmates, here’s another show I could see spun-off into a movie. Obviously Rick, Neil, Vyvyan and Mike are still living together 24 years later, despite having been evicted in the series finale. Clearly nothing was going on in their lives that would indicate they’d have any reason not to be.
3. The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. - I didn’t see much of the show when it was on, and I’m not the most hard core Bruce Campbell fan, but a lot of people did/are. I think a big-budget western about a bounty hunter who uses futuristic gizmos could be a big hit. As long as Campbell got to star in it and not Kevin Kline/Will Smith. Like with Serenity, it’s one of those things I’d check out at the movies despite not checking out on the tube.
4. Seinfeld - Bring back the whole cast and have one of them Mumblecore directors make it. Obviously it would be a movie about nothing.
5. The Golden Girls - Is Hollywood not aware of how popular this show was/is? Most of the people I know would much rather see these four ladies on the big screen than the quartet from Sex and the City. It has to be made quick, though. They’re not as young as they used to be.