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11th Aug 2015
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 13: Actor Zac Efron accepts the Best Shirtless Performance award for 'That Awkward Moment' onstage at the 2014 MTV Movie Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on April 13, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for MTV)
And now for the latest in movies that are guaranteed not to win an Oscar but will tick our guilty pleasure boxes all the same. Zac Efron (AKA heaven) and Dwayne Johnson, (AKA The Rock, AKA the nicest man on the planet) are set to join forces for – wait for it – the cinematic incarnation of Baywatch. Taking us right back to those 90s Saturday evenings spent watching Gladiators, followed by Blind Date with Cilla Black (God rest her soul), capped off with a half hour of Baywatch, this movie is sure to garner itself a cult following well before it hits theatres.
No actor confirmations have been released thus far, but with director Seth Gordon at the helm and Zac Efron’s recent foray into the world of comedy (Bad Neighbours was a lot of fun), this makes perfect sense. And we all know how good Dwayne Johnson is at saving people from earthquakes (San Andreas), so sharks in the water and an environmental melt down should pose no great threat. This news comes exclusively via The Hollywood Reporter, who give us the low-down on the reimagined 90s plot: “The story centers on a by-the-book and very serious lifeguard (Johnson) who is forced to team up with a young rule-flouting hothead (Efron) in order to save their beach from environmental destruction at the hands of an oil tycoon.”
Those in the know are already speculating around the idea of a franchise, provided they strike the right balance, a la 21 Jump Street, between humour and something resembling a plot.
Only three questions remain: Will Pamela Anderson join rank (she could play the nasty oil tycoon in a subversive twist), will David Hasselhoff make a cameo appearance, and, will they pay homage to the original with a wardrobe full of form-fitting red shorts?
We wait with bated breath.
Meanwhile, altogether now… “I’ll be reaaaaady”