It turns out that Tourism Australia’s clever campaign in February promoting a faux Crocodile Dundee movie reboot wasn’t a pure invention.
Today Paul Hogan confirmed he will star in The Very Excellent Mr Dundee!, re-teaming with his That’s Not My Dog!, Charlie & Boots and Strange Bedfellows director Dean Murphy.
The script is by Murphy and Robert Mond, who according to IMDB.com worked on the 2015 sketch comedy Open Slather with Hogan.
Hogan will play himself as his character is on the brink of receiving a Knighthood for services to comedy. “Don’t do anything to mess this up,” his manager tells him. Despite his best efforts, the next six weeks sees his name and reputation destroyed.
The comedy is set in Los Angeles and shooting is due to start there and in Vancouver and Australia next month, produced by Murphy and Nigel Odell.
Transmission Films has secured the Australian rights and Kathy Morgan International (KMI) is representing the project internationally.
KMI is also selling Ambience Entertainment’s contemporary remake of Storm Boy, directed by Shawn Seet, which Sony will release here in January.
Christopher Figg and Robert Whitehouse from London’s Piccadilly Pictures and Sherman Ng from Singapore’s Salt Media, who are among the backers of Storm Boy, will serve as EPs on Hogan’s comeback movie together with Morgan and Transmission’s Andrew Mackie and Richard Payten.
Morgan was an executive producer on Simon Wincer’s Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, which was released in 2001.
Fulcrum Media Finance and several other unnamed equity partners complete the financing. There is no word yet on the supporting cast. “Watch this space as I’ve been honoured to have many of my friends and colleagues, whose work I adore, agree to join us for this hilarious new adventure,” Hogan said in a media release.
Hogan was last seen in cinemas in That’s Not My Dog! The Tourism Australia campaign featured Hogan, Chris Hemsworth, Margot Robbie, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Isla Fisher and Luke Bracey supposedly promoting Dundee: The Son of a Legend Returns Home.