The duo behind Solitary Man starring Michael Douglas (David Levien and Brian Koppelman) have been pegged by Universal to write the feature film adaptation of The Rockford Files, based on the procedural series that ran on NBC from 1974-80. In the series, James Garner played the titular James Rockford, a down-and-out private eye.
Now the TV series will be fodder to develop a star vehicle for Vince Vaughn, an actor who seems to be enjoying a relaxed working schedule – banging out a comedy a year of varying degrees of badness (Couples Retreat and The Dilemma most recently).
The Pulse: Considering that the series worked because of the casting of James Garner, I’m skeptical at what Vaughn has to offer the role. He really hasn’t flexed his tough-guy chops and it seems like a decade since he’s performed drama. It must be noted that NBC tried to launch a reboot of the TV series with Dermot Mulroney in the Garner role. But it was killed in the pilot stage. After the success of 21 Jump Street in theaters it will be interesting to see how Koppelman and Levien approach the adaptation. Do they go for laughs and strike a Fletch vibe or play it straight?
