Corona | Coming Attractions

In a time when studios are making movies based on board games, does it shock anyone that a big screen version of American Gladiators is in development? It shouldn't, especially when you stop and consider that the AG movie is capitalizing on Hollywood's last fad, the superhero movie genre. If you were wondering what kind of story an American Gladiators movie would have and if it would try and port over the reality sports gaming competition format to a three-act structure, don't sweat it. For the movie the muscular men and women will be superheroes. I suppose that's an appropriate mode of adaptation considering that the Gladiators have code-names like Dutch, Laser, Ice, Venom, Titan, Siren, Justice, Wolf...whoa, I had to stop myself there! Once you're spouting off their names you just can't stop!

Screenwriter Peter Iliff has been hired to find some way to flesh out the American Gladiators movie. Back in the early '90s Iliff penned the scripts for Point Break, Patriot Games and Varisty Blues before taking a siesta in the first half of the '00s. Since the guy wrote Point Break we should all give him the chance to come up with some gold for American Gladiators; I mean, c'mon, Keanu Reeves' character in that film, Johnny Utah, has the best ever AG name. I kind of hope that the AG producer, Scott Mednick, hired Iliff in part because he came up with that name.

The American Gladiators people want their movie out in theaters sometime in 2011. So do I, so do I.