In a recent interview for the Lifehacker website, MacGyver creator Lee David Zlutoff said that the MacGyver movie is still going ahead and is currently having a script written, for which he was “anxiously looking forward to seeing how it turns out.”

He also commented briefly about his lawsuit over the MacGruber movie, saying that while he found the MacGruber skits to be hysterical, he felt that the production of a movie was a step too far by entering the same market place as his movie: “it’s one thing to do a skit on Saturday Night Live, it’s another thing to enter the exact same marketplace, with a feature-length movie, while we’re in the process of trying to put together a real MacGyver movie.”

He went on to indicate that he perceived the difference between MacGruber and other “send up” movies such as Austin Powers to be that Austin Powers is a send up of the whole spy genre, while MacGruber is a send up of only one show, but again came back to the idea that the real problem is that the MacGruber movie is "entering the same marketplace" as the MacGyver movie.

An interesting side note to come from the interview was that the production company backing the MacGruber movie, Reality Media, originally took an interest in Zlutoff’s MacGyver movie before they went with MacGruber.


Read the full interview here

i hope he gets the MacGruber movie takein down and I'm glad they are working on the Script i hope it turns out for the best.

VEeeeeeery interesting! Thanks for posting this, Rock!

I never intended to see the trailer but my brother did and quickly figured out it had to be a parody on MacGyver so I ended up watching it. Got to admit, looks like my kind of humor. But the fact that:

That's where the itch is. Things get going, than SNL is trying to "take" that away. If things can be sorted out like adults, I wouldn't mind the MacGruber film I think. Looks like Lee David Zlotoff is prepared to talk. Even though MacGruber might almost be in his post-production, you think it would hurt to delay that release until the actual film is made and released? Sounds like a good deal to make up for the fuzz they caused.

Anyone else notice how Lee Zlutoff kinda looks like MacGyver?

Maybe they should cast him in the lead role.



Mind you my initial reaction was that he looked like Gil Grisim from CSI. But I don't think a MacGyver look is much of a stretch either.

I though it looked familiar, well its good to know the movie is still on

I don't think he wants that job.

I just had a thought...

If Lee is talking about MacGruber damaging the MacGyver movie... I wonder how similar the MacGruber storyline might be to what they worked out for MacGyver?

Maybe MacGruber not only ripped off MacGyver, but the movie storyline? (or part of it)

if this movie goes through, I think it will have a chance to take a shot at indiana jones movie, and james bond

Good this it's going to be the real movie then.

I hope they manage to join RDA on it.

RDA or nobody as fair as I'm concerned. I couldn't see anyone else trying to fill those shoes. Besides, he looked great in that MacGyver spoof commercial a couple years ago with the bomber jacket and attire.

I think they're probably worried about Macgruber being a turkey that ends up hurting the market for their film. A lot of people have no idea what MacGyver is and if the first one to come out is bad it'll probably reflect on the real one. I'm sure they wouldn't have a problem if they released MacGruber after the official Movie is released.

That's fair enough. I agree, in the absence of MacGyver from this generation, the first one probably would somehow function to be more normative of the character. I always watch the "real" movie before the parody. If you don't, it really isn't as funny.

I can't believe they still haven't even casted the MacGyver movie yet! Geez Lee, how long you have to wait to make the dang thing, til RDA is bald enough to play Pete?

I once heard people getting gray won't get bald.

Pete's hair was gray and he was mostly bold.

It has nothing to do with hair color.

RDA looked GREAT in Stargate: Continuum and that was only 2 or 3 years ago. I agree, RDA should be cast for the movie

You think a 60 year old MacGyver in a 1987 setting will work?

He'll be older than all his friends and even his boss.

I'd be happy if they get the 1987 feel in 2010. In other words the third season feeling after 23 years.

yeah well you wont get that with RDA playing the lead role. Not unless they start in present time with RDA and then flashback, or follow on from the end of the series and go with the father/son deal, but that's not really a pure MacGyver and I'm not really sure I'd like to see it go down that path to be honest.

You know what might be quite a funny thing they could do... Have RDA play some kind of "Jack O'Neill like" colonel that Pete has to work with, kinda like the guy in Human Factor, or Silent World.

But seriously, the only way I can see RDA working in this movie is to start off in present day with MacGyver maybe getting someone out of a jam or something, so we get to see RDA being MacGyver and pulling off some sort of MacGyverism and then doign something like saying he's been in worse situations and flashing back to a story which is the main part of the movie and using younger actors."

I'd love to know what if anything the writer has come up with so far.

Not having RDA as MacGyver would be like not having Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones!
RDA IS MacGyver, and anybody else would have a hard time filling those shoes and pulling it off convincingly.

Rockatteer wrote:

I heartily agree with you, Rock.

And in the fan fiction Library MacBeth is doing just that. Starting with the MacGyver of today and then flashing back to the MacGyver as we know him. And it's got Murdoc in it!
It's called Reverb and it's a Work in Progress.
Brilliant story, very well written, great plot. Every time I read a chapter (more, please, Beth!) it's like watching a movie.

So until the real movie is or isn't made, we here at MOL have our own movie.

Even Noah Antwiler (The Spoony One) doesn't like the MacGruber movie. It's in his newest vlog.

Go Spoony!

That sounds so cool!
I want to see RDA, definitely

As much as I love RDA and the MacGyver character I can't see Zlotoff or anyone related to the MG series not paying attention to what is successful in today's film market, and thats young leading men, almost teenagers. Im very afraid that they'll give it a similar treatment than Star Trek, where you were hardpressed to find anyone over 25. I can see RDA being a sort of mentor for someone a la Shia LaBeouf (I feel like puking while I type this). I hope Im completely wrong but you can rarely see nowadays any action mainstream movie with the main actor over 40, and most of the time most of the characters are below 30, so that would rule out Pete and others.

Basically Im afraid they'll youngen up the entire cast and plot. Hope they hire Randy Edelman for the score, instead of someone from mediaventures because if they hire a MV composer I can actually imagine a god awful techno score with the MacGyver tune updated to a more "hip" style.

Frankly I gotta be honest, and I hate to be a partypooper, but for me Mac is a completely outdated character in todays world. It doesnt speak well of our world, but can you imagine in 2010 an action movie about a guy who doesnt believe in carrying guns, has no explicit sex on screen, and most of his friends are over 40? Mac is from another era.

Thats my view anyway, kind of grim, I'm sorry.

Thank you!

I actually started writing that story, the opening sequence in particular, because I wanted to envision how the character might function in the current, technology-saturated world. It's working very well -- yes, the next chapter is progressing nicely and is almost ready to post, and it's back in the current day, complete with Twitter and iPods and YouTube and internet conspiracy junkies.

I've always seen MacGyver as being enough of a technological adept that he would move forward quite comfortably as things progressed, chosing what technological innovations to use, and not feeling pressured to adopt everything. He'd be in control of the level of technology in his life, rather than it controlling him.

I see Dr Zito's point and I agree with some parts.For instance I have never seen a single episode of Star Trek,so I watched that new version a bit late,thinking whether there will be parts that I can't get.However it was entertaining for me.I can even say I wanted to see the episodes of it after that
But I'm sure how hard it must be to satisfy the hard-core fans of the show.

Same goes with MacGyver.Yet I don't think he's too outdated character to come back.They can easily revive the practical things he's made throughout the show using today's technology...even better.So yeah...his age and about his friends.That's the tricky part.As long as they keep his age same with the pilot episode,I will be cool with that.The younger than that can be bad.If Pete will also be there,an actor who is in the late 40s age may be good.just an idea...

Shia LaBeouf (I feel like puking while I type this)

eww,and I feel the same while reading his name! =)

May I remind you, that when MacGyver was introduced on American television, his character was just as outlandish as it would be now. Action heroes with guns were everywhere, the MacGyver-approach was completely new. So I think the opposite of you, dr. Zito. I believe that the MacGyver way of thinking – trying to find solutions without waving a gun – could be very attractive to the public of today.

And for the rest: MacGyver can concoct huge explosions and that never gets old.

You mean like National treasure? or Indiana Jones?

@ Dr. Zito.

Why not? Star Trek was quite good. I'm not so familiar with the original series though, but I got the feeling the movie was quite succesful with the fans. That's also why I set my 'hopes up' to JJ Abrahams for the movie as a director.

I think I can live with Trevor Rabin for the score. But my main hope is an orchestral score with either Randy Edelman (he has experience with big movies) or James Newton Howard will also be a good choice or Michael Giacchino if it JJ Abrahams was the director.

Euhm... Rocky, Indiana Jones, Rambo mean any bells? OK, the best example is Rocky. Indy does carry a gun and Rambo is a walking armory. Lately everything is PG-13, not too much violence, blood or sex. My point is use it or don't use it. But don't use it to make more money. There's plenty of PG-13's that could be rated R's. And I can think of many films that would've made good R's instead of PG-13's. Always keeping in mind that this or that would not be fit for children. I mean come on. But of course for Mac a PG or a PG-13 would be great.

Something in style of National Treasure or Sahara would be great for a Mac-movie except that's it not a treasure hunting thing. Too easy and not in the originally sense for Mac. Something like Casino Royale would be much better in type of secret agent thing with missions and such. And Casino Royale was one of the better actioners in the way an action film should be.

You mean like National treasure? or Indiana Jones?

Indy is an outdated character as well, and may I say the name of the beast again , but they had to shoehorn an almost teenager into the plot, the leboeuf kid. National Treasure is a disney film and not exactly similar to MacGyver, IMO.

The trekkies i talked to liked the film but didnt think it was a true star trek film. Perhaps thats what'll happen with MG. In anycase the two movies that were made were hardly typical, one of them didnt feel like a MacGyver story at all (I think it was the one about the doomsday day or something)

Trevor Rabin, perhaps the worst composer working right now in Hollywood, would be a nightmare of a choice, I cant think of anyone more unfitted. Edelman is the man, pun intended or anyone but the MV crowd. Would you really like the armageddon feeling in the background while mac disarms a bomb?

Its true that you could have a megastar bruce willis type in the main role, those are few cases though, and to counterbalance they'll usually make it up for with tons of sex, violence or a younger rest of cast. To have all those elements, a mostly grown up cast, no sex and no guns, all in the same action movie is pretty, pretty unusual nowadays.

I agree that with a good amount of ingenuity you could get away with it, and let me make myself clear, that I'd love to see a Mac movie that defies cinema's modern conventions (when it comes to hollywood anyway), but Im just making the point that making such a movie would be against the run of things. Of course Id love it but I think the commercial aspect of a film is something that producers will have to take into account

Perhaps Im just being a cynical basta$% as usual, dont pay any attention to me