Reginald VelJohnson shared his thoughts on reprising his role in the upcoming Disney+ reboot of Turner & Hooch, starring Josh Peck. In the 1989 buddy cop comedy directed by Roger Spottiswoode, Detective Scott Turner (Tom Hanks) tries to solve his friend’s murder with the help of said friend’s orphaned dog, Hooch. The movie was a box office success that gave way to both a TV movie sequel and a television pilot, although the latter didn’t pan out. Disney+ announced that a series reboot was officially in the works in February of 2020.
VelJohnson co-starred in the original Turner & Hooch as Turner’s coworker at the Cypress Beach police precinct, Detective David Sutton. At the start of the film, Turner prepares to transfer to a new position in Sacramento, while Sutton is set to take over Turner’s job. During Sutton’s training period, Turner’s friend Amos Reed (John McIntire) is murdered under suspicious circumstances, forcing Turner to adopt his boisterous French mastiff Hooch. Sutton assists Turner as he races to solve the case in the days leading up to his departure. As Hanks’ overly serious character is antagonized with various physical gags enacted by his unruly canine companion, VelJohnson provides an underutilized source of comedic commentary.
VelJohnson spoke to CBR about reprising his role in the upcoming reboot, which premieres on July 21. It was revealed back in March that the actor would reappear in the series as David Sutton, this time alongside Peck as Scott Turner’s son. In the Disney+ series, which takes place 30 years after the movie’s events, Sutton has been elected Mayor of Cypress Beach. VelJohnson predicted as much and said Sutton’s rise in the ranks feels like a logical arc for the character:
You know, somehow I knew it was going to be a cop, or something. Some kind of authority figure. I guess I took on the authority figure role, if you could see me as that. I was meant to play it. I hope to bring some kind of power… Not power, but you know what I mean…Kind of keep to the role.
Over the years, Sutton has remained in touch with his deceased former partner’s son and family. (Hanks, unfortunately, will not return in the reboot, which centers around the case of his character’s death.) As mayor, Sutton is generally in the know about the goings-on of the small town, giving him access that will aid in the investigation.
In the 1989 movie, David Sutton acts as a kind of second foil to Scott Turner (Hooch being the first): where Turner is uptight and joyless, Sutton is funny and easygoing. Hanks and VelJohnson bounce off of each other in their scenes together, falling into a funnyman-straight man dynamic that never fully blossoms in the film. Although the two play cops who work together, the “buddies” in the buddy cop comedy are, of course, those featured in its title. Accordingly, the film allocates most of its 99 minutes to develop the relationship between Turner & Hooch in the context of a criminal investigation, which leaves little room for its supporting characters to get many jokes in. By contrast, a 12-episode Disney+ series will have time to check in with other characters as the main action unfolds and hopefully won’t miss their comedic potential.
Source: CBR
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