Pee-Wee Herman's Next Adventure Headed to Netflix

A new Pee-Wee Herman film has been in the works for years, with Paul Reubens talking it up at various points along the way. But none of it amounted to much until Judd Apatow caught wind of his most recent stand-up act featuring the beloved juvenile character who appeared in two movies: Pee-Wee's Big Adventure and the awful sequel Big Top Pee-Wee. Apatow came on board to produce this latest film, but now five years later it finally seems to be moving forward and headed straight to Netflix.

According to The Wrap, Pee-Wee's next big screen adventure is very close to being distributed by Netflix , adding to their growing brand as a destination for major movie releases. Over the last year they've struck a 4-picture deal with Adam Sandler and also secured release of the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sequel.  It's unclear if the Pee-Wee film will be an exclusive, but that seems likely given their recent acquisitions.

What's also a mystery is the plot and who will direct. Apatow is merely on board to produce, while Reubens is saying a director is in place. He co-wrote the script with Paul Rust, a writer on Arrested Development and star of I Love You, Beth Cooper. Filming on the next Pee-Wee Herman movie could begin in 2015.

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Judd Apatow Preps new Pee-Wee Herman Film!

I've had a rash of ex-girlfriends, and even my current one, who don't understand my love of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. Directed by Tim Burton back in 1985, it's the perfect example of a guy who never can and never would grow up. It's just one big hallucinatory fever dream caught on film. After Pee-Wee, real name Paul Reubens, got caught jerkin' his gerkin' out in public, he pretty much disappeared and both TV and movies havent' been as fun since.

Now out of nowhere comes the story that Judd Apatow will be producing a new comedy adventure starring Pee-Wee Herman. The two apparently met after Apatow saw the newly revived Pee-Wee Herman Show at the Nokia Theater. The tour has been selling out dates for the last few months, triggering a return to prominence for Reubens. A showing of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure sold out at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles just last week.

It doesnt' appear that Apatow has any interest in directing the project. The script is being written by Reubens alongside Paul Rust, who most will recognize as the lead character from I Love You, Beth Cooper. He also had a small role in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. The film is already being described as a "road pic" with a "gigantic adventure".

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure was a surprise hit back in 1985, coming out of nowhere to take in over $40M. It's since become something of a cult classic. That film's success spawned a less funny, less successful 1988 sequel, Big Top Pee-Wee. It's flat out terrible. Kris Kristofferson must still have nightmares. That led to a highly successful Saturday morning series, which I maintain was far more adult than my kiddie brain could've understood at the time, which ran from 1986-1990.

You can read more of Variety's coverage of the story here.

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