When I heard Bruce Campbell was no longer involved in the sequel to Don Coscarelli’s wondrously delightful Bubba Ho-Tep, I was both relieved, bummed, and confused. Relieved because I thought it impossible to repeat the brilliance of Bubba Ho-Tep. Bummed because I wanted them to repeat the brilliance of Bubba Ho-Tep. Confused, because really, what else does Bruce have to do?
So, I wrote it off. Apparently, Bubba Nosferatu co-star Paul Giamatti, who was to play Elvis’s long time manager Colonel Tom Parker, did not though. In fact, being a huge fan of Bubba Ho-Tep (he calls it one of his favorite films), he’s been pushing to get this sucker made. And now he has a new co-star playing Elvis.
Ron Perlman.
“He’s a really, really great actor and incredibly flexible, so I really can’t wait to see the guy do it,” Giamatti told AICN in a fairly long and interesting interview.
I agree, Paul Giamatti. And you know what, Bruce’s take on an elderly Elvis was probably his best work to date and he is what made this movie so special (well, and Ossie Davis as JFK, of course), but I’m not really against this recasting like many Bruce fans might be. If there was no Bruce, Perlman would probably be the man. I fucking love Ron Perlman. How can’t you?
But okay, we’re still curious. Why no Bruce?
“I’m sure everybody is going to want to know that,” Giamatti said. “Every effort was made by us, he just didn’t want to do it and he was cool about it. He just didn’t want to do it, which is a bummer, because part of the reason I love that movie is him… a big part of it. He’s fantastic and I’ve always loved him. I’m a big fan of his, but he didn’t want to do it, which is totally cool. … He’s totally great in it, so yeah I don’t know. I’m not sure what his reasons were particularly. I think he’s doing a lot of his own stuff now like directing stuff on his own and he just wants to do that, I guess. It was a disappointment and we really tried”
Fair enough.
So many questions: did Bubba Ho-Tep need a sequel, even if Bruce was in it? Should the sequel have been dropped with Bruce leaving? Does Perlman as a replacement suffice? Does Giamatti’s involvement excite at all?
Wow. Not sure how I feel about this. Giamatti’s presence used to excite me, though not as much anymore. Still, I think he’s a fun fit.
The big question though being Campbell’s absence. I love the Pearl Man, but without Campbell as Elvis, this should be scrapped. That was the best Elvis impersonation I’ve ever seen and, like you said, maybe the Chin’s best work to date.
But if Campbell can come back, YES!, I am all for a sequel. Vampire vs Elvis. Are you kidding me? HELL YES!
I’m conflicted. Saying ‘no Bruce, no movie’ was obviously a knee jerk reaction for me when I first Perlman’s name as a replacement, but the more I think about it, the more I’m intrigued.