Josh Heald, Hayden Schlossberg, and Jon Hurwitz, creators of the pop-culture sensationsHot Tub Time MachineandCobra Kai,lend their unparalleled talent to a movie based on the popular video gameDuke Nukem. These three writers and producers have an unbelievable penchant for taking retro stories and making them more relevant than ever and even cooler than they were the first time around.
Cobra Kaiis a Nielsen rating-dominating series based on theKarate Kidmovies with Ralph Macchio and William Zabka that managed to blur the lines between hero and antihero. The show has flipped a three-decade-old story on its head with blockbusting results. Now Heald, Schlossberg, and Hurwitz will focus on another popular piece of ’80s-based content.
Duke Nukemis not exactly famous for its sensitivity or equality. Modeled after the machismo, gun-slinging, chain-smoking, ’80s archetypal action hero,Duke Nukemand its various sequels were one of the first PC games and would be rightfully considered offensive today.Duke Nukemis like a retroGrand Theft Autowith plenty of big hair flare that is somehow even more sexist than any of its constituents. Studios have spent many years grappling with how to adapt this successful game in a way that contributes positively to society.
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For these reasons,Duke Nukemshould be a movie that theCobra Kaitrio produces, and pretty much only if it’s theCobra Kaitrio producing. Here’s why.
Duke Nukem’s Development Hell
Duke Nukemis a tough sell. Because he is such an outdated and misogynistic character, extremely reliant on the qualities that madeTerminator,Total Recall,and any other Arnold Schwarzenegger movie you can think of a sensation, it isn’t an easy concept to make relevant or even acceptable to more discerning and evolved audiences.TheDuke Nukemmovie, long believed to be starring John Cena as the titular Duke, has been something studios have wanted to cash in on for well over a decade now. Its aesthetic and production value make it a prime target for a live-action adaptation in a genre that typically flops. Legendary, the production company behind theDuneand theGodzillafranchises, will beproducingDuke Nukemafter it has been passed around Hollywood since at least 2018. WhileCena is not confirmed to star, he is still the popular choice among the game’s fanbase.
Duke Nukem,the game, has a characteristic sci-fi flare. The protagonist in the series must battle his way through an alien invasion in 1980s Los Angeles, with nothing to rely on but his big guns, big biceps, and spiky blond hair. He also has to push his way through mutated humans on his quest to destroy the enemy if he can avoid being distracted by the ladies for long enough.Duke Nukemis an extremely on-brand character, mimicking not only Schwarzenegger’s career but also projects likeEscape from New York,where the tough guy hero can do anything he wants, and any of his co-stars can meet any fate.
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As long as the gun-slinging hero finds success by making his point and blowing lots of bad guys and buildings up, anything is permissible. This is not exactly a story with fertile ground from which to mine the next sensational blockbuster in this era that squarely condemns this kind of prehistoric style. But it all depends on the people you put behind the project.
Duke Needs the Cobra Kai Makeover
Fortunately, the minds behindHot Tub Time Machineare the perfect and only choices to take something rank with the stench of retro, backward misogyny and turn it into something healing that modern audiences can enjoy. While Johnny from theKarate Kidmovies is far from being as bad asDuke,they took a character that has long been one of the most hated, sexist villains of the ’80s, played by an actor who never quite transcended that hastily assigned reputation, and made him a character that everybody loves and roots for, even over the franchise’s reigning protagonist.
Heald, Schlossberg, and Hurwitz are the only men for the job. They have taken the ’80s action hero genre and turned it into something much deeper, more relevant, compassionate, and overallspectacular withCobra Kai.Hot Tub Time Machinealso exploits similar concepts to great effect. The trio is the dream team for most projects, particularly those that are problematic. If they can take this concept and turn it into something with just enough retro fandom, action and adventure, and more modern emotional depth and complexity that we want to run to the theater to see it, then we say, why not?
