'Revenge Of The Nerds' Reboot Coming From The Lucas Brothers And Seth MacFarlane
Revenge of the Nerds, an '80s comedy that really hasn't aged so well, is getting a reboot. The reboot comes from Keith and Kenny Lucas, who will write and star in the film, and Seth MacFarlane, who will produce. Rather than stick to the formula of the original movie, this Revenge of the Nerds reboot will be a "contemporary reimagining" that "will pontificate about today's nerd culture and what even constitutes a geek in the 21st century."
The original Revenge of the Nerds was a hit in 1984, but some of the movie's choices haven't aged particularly well. Now, a reboot will attempt to try something different. Variety is reporting that Seth MacFarlane and the Lucas Brothers are working on a Revenge of the Nerds reboot at 20th Century Studios. In the original movie, starring Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards and directed by Jeff Kanew, a group of college nerds is constantly bullied by some fraternity jocks until the nerds decide to fight back.
Yes, once upon a time you could pitch a studio an idea like this, and the studio would say, "Sure, here's $8 million, go make it." Not only that, it spawned multiple sequels – Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise, Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation, and Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love. There was also a reality competition called King of the Nerds that lasted three seasons, somehow.
As for the new Revenge of the Nerds, it's being billed as a "contemporary reimagining" that "will pontificate about today's nerd culture and what even constitutes a geek in the 21st century," which I suppose is a good question. There's really no such thing as nerds anymore. Nerd culture has been completely integrated into the mainstream, to the point where the things once considered to be the pinnacle of nerddom – comic book superheroes – are now embraced by practically everyone.
Seth MacFarlane will produce the Revenge of the Nerds reboot through his production company Fuzzy Door along with Erica Huggins. Keith and Kenny Lucas have had roles on Arrested Development, Lady Dynamite, and in the movie 22 Jump Streets, and they're set to write and star in the Revenge of the Nerds reboot, with Alex Rubens also co-writing. They also co-wrote and co-produced the upcoming Judas and the Black Messiah, and are working with Jump Street filmmakers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller on a "unique and high concept comedy" over at Universal.