I was always kind of partial to Roy Rogers. Corporate bigwigs, too, detected a popular interest in the reinvention of the cowboy hero even though the actor Roy Rogers, who played the eponymous role, died in 1998.
Nashville-based 821 Entertainment is partnering with the Roy Rogers Entertainment Corp. to develop a “King of the Cowboys” film trilogy that will fall into the genre category of “family fantasy adventure.” There are also plans for animated TV, interactive game and merchandising efforts.
SlashFilm finds this franchise rebuilding a bit puzzling on the account that the whole idea is cemented upon an antiquated American ideal.
“The days of the family Western as epitomized by the Roy Rogers movies of the ’40s and ’50s are long over. Not to say they don’t exist at all anymore, but the audience is hardly great. And even the most family-oriented films now have an awareness and touch of cynicism that runs counter to what the Roy Rogers persona was all about. How do you bring back the spirit of Rogers — and in fact, the character himself, without the actor — and not have it seem like unintentional comedy?”
Is it too late for the tale of the man in the signature white hat – and those kitschy sequined shirts – to recapture American audiences?