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I am admittedly a fan of the POLICE ACADEMY movies. Yes, I realize they (especially now) don’t exactly hold up that well, nor did they ever seem particularly well-written, but they were almost always some degree of fun… especially the first few entries. Toward the end (POLICE ACADEMY 7: MISSION TO MOSCOW), things started to get more than a little sad. But one of the biggest problems with the franchise was always the shuffling around of its regulars. Certain cast members would disappear from one entry to the next, and would sometimes be replaced with unsatisfying substitute characters. Then Steve Guttenberg decided to leave the franchise altogether, abandoning the Mahoney character he made so famous. In recent years, there’s been off and on talk (even some of which came from Guttenberg himself) about reviving the franchise, and bringing back the surviving cast members for yet another sequel… though nothing ever seemed to come to fruition.
It appears now (according to TheHollywoodReporter) that New Line is wanting to revamp the POLICE ACADEMY franchise with an all-new cast. The original films’ producer Paul Maslansky would return, though there is so far no script or director attached.
The original POLICE ACADEMY movie came out in 1984, following the misadventures of Mahoney, a troublemaker who must join the police force against his will, which ends up with him becoming the comedic alpha dog of the police academy’s most embarrassing recruits.
Other memorable supporting characters included trigger-happy Tackleberry (the late great David Graf), Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith), shy and squeaky-voiced Hooks (Marion Ramsey), busty dominatrix-esque Callaghan (Leslie Easterbrook), human sound effect machine Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow), the klutzy Fackler (Bruce Mahler), and the flighty Commandant Lassard (George Gaynes). Notable guest appearances in the sequels included Bobcat Goldthwait, David Spade, and Ron Perlman, plus romantic interests played by Kim Cattrall, Sharon Stone, and Janet Jones.
Maslansky was quoted to say “It’s going to be very worthwhile to the people who remember it and to those who saw it on TV… It’s going to be a new class. We hope to discover new talent and season it with great comedians. It’ll be anything but another movie with a numeral next to it. And we’ll most probably retain the wonderful musical theme.”
Maybe part of the reason why I like those old films is because I grew up watching them. Even as a kid, I knew they were silly and dumb, but I still got a few chuckles from them. I suppose, if done right, there’s no reason why a new version of POLICE ACADEMY couldn’t be something pretty successful. What do you think? Tell us in the comments!
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
