HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – The future is uncertain for a much-anticipated M*A*S*H* re-boot set in Afghanistan after the show hit minefields — and not the golf-course kind.
“The energy surrounding this project was amazing,” said Erin Curtis, the show’s producer. “Channing Tatum walked into the press conference already dressed as Hawkeye Pierce, in a red bathrobe over DCUs and a reflective belt. Every time we said ‘troops,’ ‘deployed,’ or ‘America’ the crowd kept giving a standing ovation. It seemed like we had a guaranteed hit on our hands.”
The producers introduced an all-star cast, featuring Chris Hemsworth as B.J. Honeycutt, Jonah Hill as Radar O’Reilly, Seth Rogan as Corporal Klinger, Benedict Cumberbatch as Maj. Charles Winchester, Tommy Flanagan as Father Mulcahy and special guest Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Potter. When producer Alan Alda announced he’d have a recurring cameo as counterintelligence nutter Col. Flagg, the applause wouldn’t stop.
“The first media question fell flat,” Curtis continued, “Variety asked, ‘How can the show have so many big-ticket actors?’ I told her that this was modern war, so all your favorite characters would rotate out every six months. That didn’t go over well.”
