In the late 1980’s director John Hughes released his comedy classic, Uncle Buck. The movie starred comedic legend John Candy as the immature brother, who takes on the responsibility of taking care of his nephew and nieces during a family crisis. The movie was one of Candy’s trademark roles and the Uncle Buck moniker became instantly iconic. According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, ABC will be turning the film into a weekly single-camera television show starring comedian Mike Epps. THR describes the upcoming TV show.
Epps will star as Buck Russell, the lovable dreamer and Will’s older brother who essentially raised him as a child. Nia Long will co-star as Will’s wife Alexis, the founder of her own nonprofit that mentors at-risk girls. Steven Cragg and Brian Bradley are attached to write and executive produce ABC’s Uncle Buck alongside Will Packer via his prolific Will Packer Productions banner.
The first thing that comes to mind with the announcement of the casting is that it is all wrong! Apologies for lacking political correctness, but Hollywood is going wild with changing classic roles! Mike Epps for Uncle Buck? Epps isn’t even…overweight…Do you see Epps pulling off a scene like Candy did, flipping giant pancakes with a snow shovel? Clearly Epps understands the principles of portion control too well to be suited for the role! What’s next Hollywood! What’s next!?!
The choice to jump into television is an interesting decision for Epps, since his movie career is poised to transition as he preps to shoot the upcoming Richard Pryor biopic directed by Lee Daniels. ABC is assembling a top-notch cast to bring the pilot to life, while clearly looking to build on the success of their African-American led comedy hit, Blackish, which features comedian Anthony Anderson in the lead. The new Buck Russell is described as a “a wild and free-wheeling force of nature who has managed to lose every job and every girlfriend he’s ever had, but who still flies through life by the seat of his pants, never knowing what tomorrow will bring.” Clearly this is a role that Epps is well-suited for and could also bring a new dimension of charm to.
This isn’t the first time that an Uncle Buck television show has been attempted. In 1990, there was a show that ran for one season which starred Kevin Meaney. Remember him? Didn’t think so…Clearly it was time to reinvent the franchise and it looks that it has the foundation to be something fresh and fun.
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