There is something to be said about having a lack of choice in the media you consume. Ironically enough, not having round-the-clock access to (almost) every show and movie created will cause people to venture out of their comfort zones and try new things. Unfettered access makes us fall back on our old favorites. Not to sound like an old person (but let’s be honest, I already am), but back in my day, some of my favorite things were discovered when I would flip on the TV and see what was on, or if the movie I wanted was sold out at the video store.
There were plenty of things I was subjected to that I could not remember if you held a gun to my head. But the things I loved, that stood out, or were on television so much that I was beaten into submission in some kind of strange Stockholm syndrome, I still remember them all fondly. They possess a corner of my brain indelibly. The ‘Burbs is one of those films.
Released in 1989, The ‘Burbs starred Tom Hanks, Carrie Fisher, Bruce Dern, Corey Feldman, and Rick Ducommun. It featured Hanks as a man on vacation, just trying to relax. However, new neighbors creep him out and send him on a paranoid mission to expose them for their alleged misdeeds. The film was moderately successful at the box office and lambasted by critics. Regardless, it found a cult following on video and TV (especially with this tired writer). It rules, and it’s headed back to TV, albeit in a different way.
Deadline has announced that Seth McFarlane and original producer, Brian Grazer, will be executive producing a TV show version of the film. It will be written by Celeste Hughey and star Keke Palmer (who will also be an exec producer). It has already been ordered straight-to-series by Peacock.
The series is described in Deadline as, “Set in present-day suburbia, The ‘Burbs follows a young couple — with Palmer playing the wife — returning to the husband’s childhood home. Their world is upended when new neighbors move in next door, bringing old secrets of the cul-de-sac to light, and new deadly threats shatter the illusion of their quiet little neighborhood.”
No exact production date has been given, nor do we know if it will relate to the 1989 film. What we do know is that it will at least be shot in the same location! Universal still has the same backlot the movie originally used. It will hopefully feel like a kind of place out of time, as it possesses a more traditional, suburban look. I hope they bring Feldman back and have him live in the neighborhood. I’d pay top dollar to watch that!