Chevy Chase, the guy who basically torpedoed his role on “Community,” seems to be changing his mind about popping up in a reboot of the franchise that helped make his name. The upcoming “Vacation” has been brewing for a while now, but back in 2011 he made it clear he wasn’t interested in playing second fiddle in any series he helped start. And in fact, he was writing his own sequel script. “I’ve written an idea that would be basically like a ‘Swiss Family Griswold.’ There’s a cruise, there’s a fire on the ship, we think the whole ship’s on fire and we jump—it’s just a little fire—and we end up on an island where we meet Randy somewhere who’s been left there from an old ‘Survivor‘ series,” he explained. “I like that idea. It’s hard to sell these things to the Warners people. It depends on who’s there and what their mood is and what they think people are gonna like.” But it seems he’s happy to get a paycheck instead.
Variety reports that Chase and Beverly D’Angelo are in early talks to return as Clark and Ellen Griswold in “Vacation.” But this won’t be a mere cameo, these will be more substantial supporting roles, so hooray for continuity! But good luck to everyone on the set. Given Chase’s reputation for being disagreeable at best, we eagerly await the inevitable splashy Vanity Fair feature about the making of the movie. Ed Helms and Christina Applegate lead the picture with the story centered on Rusty Griswold, who goes on a roadtrip that will include a stop to visit the parents.
Of course, Chase has been warming up to reprising Clark Griswold in service of cash, teaming with D’Angelo for an Old Navy ad this past holiday season. Guess his “Swiss Family Griswold” wasn’t so well-received.
Anyway, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (“Horrible Bosses,” “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone“) wrote the script and will direct the movie, which will shoot later this year.
