Nikki Finke reports that the planned American adaptation of hit British show Spaced produced by McG (original post, Simon Pegg’s response) is no longer happening. 

Despite all the buzz, and exec producer McG, and a "phenomenal cast", Spaced is a no-go, I’m told. FBC just turned thumbs down on the WBTV/Wonderland pilot, which was adapted from the successful British TV series.

I’m not sure what FBC stands for – I was thinking Fellatious Blonde Chicks, but then the thumbs down part wouldn’t really follow.  In any case I’m guessing this fell through right around the time the people involved actually watched one of McG’s movies.

People were pissed they were doing an American remake of The Office – luckily they got Steve Carell to star and everything turned out alright.  But can you imagine an Americanized version of a beloved British show with McG at the helm?  Why, we’d be laughingstocks – and just when they’d finally stopped rubbishing us for our ridiculous habit of not wearing white wigs in court.

Back in ’99, those guys from Hot Fuzz (Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and director Edgar Wright) were doing a show in the UK called Spaced. In October, it was announced that Hollywood’s it douche McG would be producing an American remake. This weekend, Simon Pegg released a statement about the remake and he doesn’t sound too happy. Here’s an excerpt (yes, there’s actually more of this): 

My main problem with the notion of a Spaced remake is the sheer lack of respect that Granada/ Wonderland/Warner Bros have displayed in respectively selling out and appropriating our ideas without even letting us know. A decision I can only presume was made as a way of avoiding having to give us any money, whilst at the same time using mine and Edgar’s name in their press release, in order to trade on the success of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, even professing, as Peter Johnson did, to being a big fan of the show and it’s creators. A device made all the more heinous by the fact that the press release neglected to mention the show’s co-creator and female voice, Jessica Hynes (nee Stevenson). The fact is, when we signed our contracts ten years ago, we had neither the experience or the kudos to demand any clauses securing any control over future reversioning. We signed away our rights to any input in the show’s international future, because we just wanted to get the show made and these dark days of legal piracy seemed a far away concern. As a result, we have no rights. The show does not belong to us and, those that do own it have no obligation to include us in any future plans. You would perhaps hope though, out of basic professional respect and courtesy, we might have been consulted. It is this flagrant snub and effective vote of no confidence in the very people that created the show, that has caused such affront at our end. If they don’t care about the integrity of the original, why call it Spaced? Why attempt to find some validation by including mine and Edgar’s names in the press release as if we were involved? Why not just lift the premise? Two strangers, pretend to be a couple in order to secure residence of a flat/apartment. It’s hardly Ibsen. Jess and I specifically jumped off from a very mainstream sitcom premise in order to unravel it so completely. Take it, have it, call it Perfect Strangers and hope Balkie doesn’t sue. Just don’t call it Spaced. [Source]

I probably would’ve just called McG fat and made fun of his horrible movies and ridiculous facial hair, but you know these Brits and their obsession with "sounding intelligent" and "being articulate".  Anyway, nice burn there, college boy. 

Note: Original story from this morning appears below, update in italics.

According to /Film, the producer bringing this to America is none other than McG, that one-named wünderdouche responsible for the Charlie’s Angels movies and We Are Marshall.  Jesus, if the world were fair this mongoloid would be selling oranges by the side of the freeway somwhere.  Then again, I probably wouldn’t be so damned handsome.  Carry on, universe.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz) used to be on a British TV show, Spaced, and now Fox is trying to bring it to America a lá The Office. 

Jesus. Do they shoot TV shows on the director’s cell phone in England?  I’ve seen higher quality footage on security camera tapes… I mean, uh, on security camera tapes that people have shown me… For no reason…   

How much Pegg and co-creators Jessica Hynes (nee Stephenson) and Edgar Wright will be involved in the US version is unclear. But Johnson told Hollywood trade magazine Variety it would be similar to NBC’s adaptation of The Office, where Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant had an advisory ‘executive producer’ role. [Chortle]

Yeah, sure it will.  10 bucks says they turn this into a 3-camera soundstage piece of trash like Two and a Half Men, where the only reason to watch is to see how freakishly thin Charlie Sheen has become..  And another thing, stay off my goddamned lawn.

Thanks to Nominus for the tip.