It’s Saturday, it’s raining, college basketball is slowing down, and Doomsday belly-flopped: how about a Neil Patrick Harris post? Why not, right? Peter didn’t exactly chug a pitcher of beer in totes awe after watching Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay at SXSW, but I think it’s safe to say we’d both like to see this stoner comedy franchise continue. AICN reports that H&K2 directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg are toying around with a spin-off to the “it’s not a bomb, it’s a bong!” sequel (hitting April 25th) focusing on the former titular star of Doogie Howser, M.D.
And NPH himself, he of the unicorn mastery (see above), has chimed in about the possibilities. While he’s hesistant, he’s also seemingly aware and open to the idea of a spin-off…
Neil Patrick Harris: Part of me thinks that would be really hilarious just to make up this fictitious back story of my family and that makes me think of Steve Martin in THE JERK, just going really outlandish and then part of me thinks that is just truly jumping the shark, so I don’t know. When you are spinning off a character that’s based on a real person, but not real… I don’t know, it might be too much, but if anyone can write it…
Quint [AICN]: It worked for John Malkovich
Neil Patrick Harris: That’s true. If anyone could write it, they can, so who knows? I think that would honestly entirely depend upon the success of the next couple of months.Â
With NPH already so integral to the marketing of the sequel and doing more press this go’round, such a spin-off is not unlikely (…actually :). The only question is, would such a spin-off be like playing limbo with the pop culture niche factor? How many people would get the joke/appeal outside of College Humor readers and loyal viewers of How I Met Your Mother?
Discuss: Could an NPH spin-off do well at the box office? Is NPH the new WTF or POS (Parent Over Shoulder)? Do you expect H&K2 to be a big hit or just another college sleeper?
March 15th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
It’s an idea, but it bothers me to think, that they are just trying to make money off the H & K name. Why can’t they just make an original comedy starring Neil instead of toying it in the Harold and Kumar Universe. He does a great job as a character in the film. Why not just stick him in a Apatow or Smith film if he wants to do a comedy.
March 15th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
“MAXIMUM NPH”
He can go over the top playing a coked up swinin’ dick after as much split tail has he can get. Oh wait. He does that on How I Met Your Mother. Guess its been done. Screw it, I still like the name.
March 15th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Discuss: Oh JEEEEESUS Christ.
March 15th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
NPH D2V?
March 15th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
(Not that that’s a comment against NPH, just the idea…)
March 15th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
nph is right, if they do it ala ‘the jerk’, having him narrate over made up events in his life, and arriving the at the arrogant - in a good way - dude from the h&k films/how i met…, i think it’d be a funny, and most importantly, a DIFFERENT/UNIQUE kind of comedy. they could tie in doogie hauser, harlod & kumar, & even being john malkovich angles.
this is certainly more exciting than most of the remakes and other shitty scripts that unfortunately get filmed. it’s not jumping the shark if its done right.
@ hunter: is there such a movie in existence, where a real life person tells their life story with a bunch of made up stuff? i’ve racked my brain & resources, & i don’t think so. this could be an amazing film, i’m laughing right now at the possibilities. imagine a scene of him coming into arrogant manhood on the set of doogie hauser - maybe the actors who play his parents have a freaky 3 way with him or something. i wanna write the script!
March 15th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
“Could an NPH spin-off do well at the box office? ”
No. But godamn it, i want this movie made!!
March 16th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
@ orange cinema
How about The Kid Stays in the Picture, unless you believe every syllable that slithers out of Bob Evans’s mouth, and judging by your comments I’d say you’re far beyond that. ;)