With a host of projects based on real-life people already in development, running the gamut from a biopic about car whiz John DeLorean to a film about civil rights activist Bayard Ruskin, Permut had clearly already given some thought to the idea of a movie about Slater, since he'd not only seen his morning-show TV appearances, but already searched out a variety of tribute songs written by Slater fans that have popped up YouTube. So what does Permut think? Could this be a go project?
"If Paddy Chayefsky were still with us, I'd be on the phone with him right now," Permut told me. "I mean, who doesn't identify with a guy who's been through what Slater went through. It's the ultimate example of the famous line from 'Network' -- 'I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore.' Audiences would definitely relate to this guy. We've all had jobs where we got fed up and went a little crazy. Everyone feels his pain."
Unfortunately, mad-as-hell movies have been few and far between in recent years. It's been a long time since Michael Douglas starred in "Falling Down," where he played a jobless defense worker who lashed out at all the dolts who were making his life miserable. The movie was a box-office disappointment, perhaps because audiences prefer feel-good uplift to stories about struggling against the system. "Hollywood just doesn't make those kind of movies anymore," says Permut. "Jimmy Stewart made a career out of playing those kind of characters, but I think those films have been lost in the dust."
The biggest problem, Permut says, is that it's hard to sell a pitch when we don't know the whole story arc yet. He worries that the public's initial fascination with Slater could quickly melt away. If Slater has too many skeletons in his closet, he could go from folk hero to a tabloid sleazeball in a New York minute. Still, Permut finds the whole affair ripe with possibilities. "I especially like the whole beer angle," he said with a laugh. "That opens up a lot of product placement potential, which is always a good thing when you're looking to get something like this off the ground."
In fact, I'm betting that Slater has a much better shot at getting a Bud ad than a TV movie deal. At least it's a start. If he can deliver the goods, the sky is the limit. If Sly Stallone makes a sequel to "The Expendables," I can easily see Slater being one of the gang, growling at the bad guys and hitting someone over the head with a big suitcase. As Arnold Schwarzenegger can attest, once you're in showbiz, anything can happen.
Meanwhile, if someone actually gets a Slater TV movie off the ground, I think we have the perfect actor to play the part. Click on Keep Reading and see what you think:
It's Neal McDonough, who played Dave Williams in the fifth season of "Desperate Housewives."
Photo: Neal McDonough at a premiere earlier this year for "The Losers."
Credit: Jason Merrit / Getty Images
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