Shortly after we launched Don't Fuck With The Babysitter, we launched our MySpace page. We've been totally amazed at the overwhelmingly positive reaction we've received, and as of this writing we're at just over 2000 friends.

But what was even more surprising was when we heard from Keith Coogan, who played Brad Anderson in the original Adventures in Babysitting. Keith left this comment on our MySpace page:

“I am Keith Coogan, and I approve of this remake. As long as I have a cameo!”


Of course, we had to get in touch with him to see what he knew about the remake, and also find out what his thoughts were on the whole thing…


This is the response we received:


Dear DFWTB,

Wow! Really cool that you guys are on top of the remake. The news was just as big of a shock to the original cast as it was to the innocent public. I had the same original reaction as most.... What!?!?! How DARE they remake Adventures in Babysitting. Is there nothing sacred anymore? Then I realized it could actually bring some attention to the original, and perhaps I could get a day of work out of it! Personally, I am shooting for [a cameo as] the Hot-Dog vendor, or perhaps the car thief. We'll see. (just kidding)

I think the remake should be ok. I say this only because the original producer is on the job, and I'm sure no one wants to make a stinker. They will remain as true to the original as they can, yet I'll bet they will make a bunch of cute attempts at bringing it up to date.

Sincerely,

Keith Coogan

iFMagazine recently asked Penelope Ann Miller for her thoughts on the remake:

iF: Your first movie ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING is getting remade?

Penelope Ann Miller: They are remaking it with Raven Symone. I think it was in the trades. Linda Obst who produced the movie with Deborah Hill and Chris Columbus is doing it. Chris isn’t but Linda is. Now, who’s going to play my part, that’s what I want to know. It was Elizabeth Shue and myself at the beginning at my career!

For the rest of the interview, click here

As devoted fans of the 1987 classic, "Adventures in Babysitting," we have come together to express our concern regarding this planned remake, particularly the casting of Raven-Symone as Chris Parker.

The original film starred Elisabeth Shue in the role, and also featured such notable actors as Anthony Rapp, Keith Coogan, Penelope Ann Miller, Vincent D'Onofrio, Bradley Whitford, Lolita Davidovich, and Clark Johnson. While most were virtual unknowns at the time, the movie was a launching pad, if you will, for artists who would later do acclaimed work in "Rent," "Homicide: Life on the Street," "The West Wing," "JFK," "Gods and Monsters," and "Law and Order: Criminal Intent." And of course, Elisabeth Shue was nominated for Best Actress at the 1996 Academy Awards, in recognition of her work in "Leaving Las Vegas."

Almost 20 years after its release, the original "Adventures in Babysitting" remains a funny, charming, and much-loved film--mostly due to its wonderfully-cast ensemble.

This is why we are petitioning Walt Disney Pictures to reconsider its decision to cast Raven-Symone as Chris Parker in its planned remake.

Raven-Symone has grown up in front of the camera, having gotten her big break at the age of 3. As such, she has been the center of attention for most of her life, and having not known much else, it is clear that she thinks of herself as a star. From project to project, that same attitude is always visible in her on-screen work--and regardless of the character or story, Raven-Symone has shown that she is not capable of playing anyone except Raven-Symone. And Raven-Symone does not have the air of a regular, down-to-earth girl that made Elisabeth Shue's portrayal of Chris Parker so endearing in the original.

Put bluntly: everyone thought of Elisabeth Shue as the girl next door, while Raven-Symone is known to most as the scene-stealing brat who replaced Rudy as "the cute one" on "The Cosby Show." She has since made an entire career out of mugging for the camera. From her on-screen work to her comments in interviews, it is clear that Raven-Symone is so determined to establish herself as a franchise that she shamelessly focuses all of the attention on herself, rather than on the projects she has chosen. As such, the projects she involves herself in seem to succeed or fail based more on the audience's interest in Raven-Symone, than on the merits of the film or television series she is starring in.

Our greatest fear is that this planned remake could result in a movie that may as well be titled "That's So Raven: Adventures in Babysitting," and the polarizing effect that she has on audiences could ultimately tarnish a classic film.

We understand that film studios are in the business of making money, and that remakes are appealing because of their established name recognition. We also understand that the finished product sometimes comes across as more of a "re-imagining" than a straightforward remake of the source material, and that liberties are taken with how the material is interpreted for modern audiences. As devoted fans, if we feel you are being true to the spirit of the original movie, then we are more than willing to cut you some slack in those areas. Audiences will always have mixed feelings about remakes, but history has shown that if the characters (and casting) appear true to the source material, then sheer curiosity usually wins out and the fans will support it in theaters or on DVD.

We really do love the original, and there are more of us than you may realize. We are an entire generation who each discovered "Adventures in Babysitting" in our own way (in theaters, on video, or on one of its constant airings on cable television). For most people under the age of 35, it is commonly referenced as a favorite film...or a guilty pleasure (mostly by those who feel a little silly about the title). Given how unrealistic many of the film's situations may be, the movie ultimately succeeds because the four main characters seem like real people-and while everyone has their favorite, there was at least one that each fan could really relate to because they were so believable.

In the case of this planned remake, it still lives or dies based on the characters of Brad, Daryl, and Sara - and most important of all, Chris Parker.


So please, we make only one demand:

Don't fuck with the babysitter.

The latest issue of The Hollywood Reporter contains the multi-part feature, Milestone: 'That's So Raven,' saluting the series hitting the 100-episode mark.

Confirming one of the reasons behind the overwhelmingly negative reaction most people had to the news that Raven-Symone had been cast in the remake, the article contains quotes and insights into the "Raven-Symone" brand, which "Adventures in Babysitting" will likely be assimilated by. According to THR, Raven-Symone is a "full-blown pop phenomenon!"

If you know anything about the entertainment industry, you can tell the underlying messages that Raven's management and publicity team were pushing... If you want to play a fun game while reading the articles, count how many times you see variations on how Raven is a "regular girl."


*This* is so Raven:

Milestone: "That's So Raven"
Self-empowered pop phenom Raven-Symone soars to fame.

Dialogue: Raven-Symone
Staying grounded is part of the actresses' career plan.

The raven's song
Touring and recording are two more facets of this entertainer's career.


It's clear that Raven's handlers are quite talented in that The Hollywood Reporter's articles read as if they were love letters written by her publicist.

Also, it is important to note that trade publications like The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Billboard, etc. mainly publish these special feature inserts around "milestone" events because they can sell ads to the company or the individual they are saluting...to where the honoree is essentially paying a premium for the extra pages of coverage (but you can't really blame the Disney Channel for supporting its own projects). Of course, then the magazine can also hit up dozens of other companies to buy full page ads congratulating them on their achievement. If you haven't ever seen one of these issues, the advertisements read like a high school yearbook, where one friend bought an entire page to publicly praise another friend (or group of friends).

from Entertainment Weekly:

Have You No Shame?

Disney plans a remake of Adventures in Babysitting

"Don't f -- - with the babysitter" is possibly one of the greatest lines ever to come from an '80s teen comedy. Uttered by a knife-wielding Elisabeth Shue, it's just one of the reasons why 1987's Adventures in Babysitting couldn't be made today. With profanity-spouting teens who get stabbed, propositioned by underage prostitutes, and mistaken for Playboy Playmates, it's probably too edgy for today's increasingly tame studios. Which is why it's baffling that Disney has greenlit a remake starring Raven-Symoné (the Cosby Show alum now starring in Disney Channel's That's So Raven). Aside from the necessary changes created by the racial reversal (Shue had to sing her way out of a black blues club. Will Raven have to pogo her way out of some hipster indie-rock gig?), there's the fact that unlike that other great '80s teen movie set in downtown ChicagoFerris Bueller's Day OffBabysitting does not see the big city as a place where anyone can lip-synch "Twist and Shout" in a parade, but rather as a place where white kids from the suburbs might actually die. And, honestly, America's big cities are just not as stereotypically scary as they were in the '80s. So, Disney? Please reread the first five words of this piece and take them to heart.

A week after being quoted in almost every story announcing the casting of Raven-Symone, Nina Jacobson is out at Walt Disney Pictures, where she was head production chief of the live-action films division.

Disney has been in the midst of a downsizing shake-up, as part of a larger corporate re-organization.

Click here to read the full article at The Hollywood Reporter.

Given her glowing support for the casting of Raven-Symone in the upcoming remake, this *might* have something to do with the fact that she fucked with the babysitter (but probably not).

Oren Aviv, who has been serving as president of marketing and chief creative officer, is taking over as the head of live-action film production.

This probably won't have any effect on Raven-Symone's casting, or change the plan to move forward with production--however, you never know what can happen when top-level changes like this occur at a studio.

Entertainment Weekly echoes the popular reaction:

Adventures in Babysitting: Ready for the remake?

Elisabeth Shue warned us years ago: "Don't f--- with the babysitter." Disney isn't heeding her admonition. They're remaking Adventures in Babysitting (pictured, right), the apparently beloved comedy-adventure starring Shue as a put-upon high-school senior whose boring night babysitting turns into a Dante-esque odyssey through blighted '80s cityscapes. So who's the new Shue? Raven-Symone (left), of That's So Raven, a show I've never watched but always assumed was about Poe's wacky Goth adolescence. (It's not, apparently.)

This office, it appears, is a stronghold of Babysitting purists who don't want a repeat of Love Don't Cost a Thing, the (admittedly execrable) Nick Cannon remake of Can't Buy Me Love. Types one staffer: ''oh, this is worse than a remake of the Seven Samurai. this is sick.'' Another simply says, ''This must be stopped!''

There are contrarians, of course. ''I love how you're outraged over the disrespect being shown to a movie that was directed by... Chris Columbus. My feeling is that we're really grieving is the faded glory of our shared teenage crush on Elisabeth Shue. That lucky Macchio!'' This respondent continues with an interesting hypothetical that goes to the heart of the ''race-reversed remake'' question: ''If Shue and her charges flee into a black club and she's gotta sing the blues to get out... where will Raven et al find themselves? Honkytonk?'' My vote would be for a Blue Collar Comedy Tour concert. Or a Klan rally. Whatever's funnier.

This Babysitting memory takes the cake, though: ''I saw 'Adventures...' during Free Video Friday Night at the Sloane House International YMCA in Manhattan with members of a Korean street gang who afterward went into the adjoining ballroom where a wedding reception was taking place and shot out the windows with pistols hidden in their socks, then put a bullet in the groom's foot. True story.''

From there, the conversation degenerated into an anti-Giuliani lament about the lack of ''good Korean street gangs.''

Of course, everyone here is certifiable. You seem like sane folk, though. (Comparatively speaking.) Tell me: Is Adventures in Babysitting too sacred to remake?

from The Hollywood Reporter

Dis calls on Raven to baby-sit

By Borys Kit

Raven-Symone is attached to star in the Walt Disney Pictures remake of Adventures in Babysitting. At the same time, she has signed an acting and producing deal that includes a guaranteed pay or play on one movie, with an option for a second.

The original "Babysitting," an '80s cult favorite, follows a high school senior who gets stuck baby-sitting a bunch of kids. The dull night is interrupted when she gets a call for help from a friend stuck downtown, leading her and the kids into a night of misadventures. The original movie marked the directorial debut of Chris Columbus.

Lynda Obst, who produced the 1987 original with Debra Hill, is on board to produce the remake. David Stem and David Weiss wrote the script for the new "Babysitting." No director has been named yet.

Kristin Burr is overseeing for Disney.

It is uncertain whether "Babysitting" will fold into Raven-Symone's deal.

"Raven is a smart, funny and talented star who has the class and composure to go all the way," Disney production chief Nina Jacobson said. "The Disney Channel has made Raven into a household name, and we feel very lucky to be working with her to build a feature career."

Raven-Symone is the star of "That's So Raven," one of Disney Channel's highest-rated shows, and stars in the upcoming Disney telefilm "Cheetah Girls 2." She also is producing content for broadband and mobile phones.

Raven-Symone is repped by Endeavor, manager Jessica Samuel of Sanders/Armstrong and attorney P.J. Shapiro of Ziffren Brittenham.

from Variety:

Walt Disney is set to remake the 1987 teen comedy Adventures in Babysitting and has hired Hilary Galanoy and Elizabeth Hackett to write the screenplay. The original film starred Elizabeth Shue as a suburban high schooler whose peaceful night of babysitting is interrupted by a call from a friend who needs her help. The movie grossed $34 million at the time.