Disney is apparently saying, “Go go Gadget reboot!” as the company is developing a new live-action Inspector Gadget movie. Aladdin producers Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich are producing with Ryan Halprin overseeing the project under their Rideback banner. Saturday Night Live writers Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell have also been attached to pen the script. This will be the second Disney project for the two writers, as they were also recently hired to write a reboot of Home Alone for the company. Little else has yet been revealed about the project, such as who might play the clumsy inspector or his arch nemesis Dr. Claw.
The origins of Inspector Gadget date back to 1983 with the debut of the original animated series. It follows a cyborg police inspector named Gadget and his investigations into the crimes of the criminal mastermind Dr. Claw and his evil organization, MAD. With the assistance of his brilliant niece Penny and her dog Brain, the buffoonish inspector manages to thwart the madman’s sinister plans time and time again. The series produced 86 episodes overall across two seasons, but the show continued to air in syndication for many years. In the ’90s, the original characters would return for the TV specials Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas and Inspector Gadget‘s Field Trip. A spin-off series called Gadget Boy and Heather was also produced, following a younger version of the titular character.
In 1999, Walt Disney Pictures released the first-ever live-action Inspector Gadget movie in theaters. Matthew Broderick starred as the bionic detective in the movie, starring alongside Rupert Everett as Dr. Claw and Michelle Trachtenberg as Penny. The movie was moderately successful, earning over $134 million against a $90 million budget. A direct-to-video sequel would be released in 2003, focusing on Gadget’s replacement with a similar robot named G2. All of the leading cast members from the original movie were recast, as the sequel starred French Stewart as Gadget, Tony Martin as Dr. Claw, and Caitlin Wachs as Penny. While critics were not especially kind to either movie upon their releases, they seem to have developed a bit of a cult following over the years.
Related: Inspector Gadget Trailer: The Classic Cartoon Is All-New
More recently, the Inspector Gadget franchise had a bit of a resurgence with the debut of an all-new animated series in 2015. Consisting of CGI animation, the series serves as a sequel to the original show from the early 1980’s. It picks up with Dr. Claw thawing out from an iceberg prison to reactive his MAD organization. This brings Gadget out of retirement alongside Penny and Brain once again, while also introducing Dr. Claw’s nephew Talon to the cast of characters. The new Inspector Gadget series has since aired 52 episodes across four seasons.
There’s no word yet on when to expect to see this new Inspector Gadget movie. It’s also not clear whether the project is being developed for the big screen or if it will be a part of the Disney+ streaming service. Updates should be forthcoming soon. This news comes to us from https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/new-inspector-gadget-live-action-movie-works-1245509|The Hollywood Reporter.
