B.J. and the Bear Remake Headed to Big Screen with Oscar Isaac and Tom Cruise Attached

May 27, 2015 "Faking" Jacen Solo

It appears Oscar Isaac will be trading the Millennium Falcon and a Wookiee copilot for a big rig… and a chimpanzee?! We’ve just caught wind that the wheels — all 18 of them — are turning on a feature film reboot of the early 80’s TV show B.J. and the Bear. After the jump, we share everything we know about Oscar’s upcoming monkey buddy road trip flick.

One of the most underrated TV creations by the late, great Glen A. Larson is finally hitting the road again. B.J. and the Bear, the comedy series starring Greg Evigan as Billie Joe McKay along with a fun-loving chimp as Bear, is set to return in a very big way.

Director Todd Phillips of The Hangover fame is set to reunite with frequent script-writing collaborators Jon Lucas and Scott Moore on the comedy caper.

Co-starring alongside Oscar Isaac is Tom Cruise as the voice of B.J.’s chimpanzee sidekick. Cruise narrowly beat out Isaac’s uncle to nab the role of the talking ape. Rumor has it, the decision came down to the wire but Cruise’s unforgettable script read cinched the role for him. Apparently Phillips asked for both actors to channel the chimp while reciting lines. Cruise proceeded to jump up and down on a sofa and scream “Ooh! Ooh! Waaa! Waaa!” like he once famously did on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Isaac’s uncle had no answer to these antics, though he was heard muttering, “Ese pendejo esta loco. Buena suerte, sobrino.”

The character of Bear is being closely guarded, but a cousin of a cousin told us the chimp will be entirely CG, with motion capture duties performed by the reigning king of mo-capped monkeys, Andy Serkis. We’ve been told his performance is so convincing that Bear makes Caesar from the recent Planet of the Apes films look like a sock puppet.

Tommy Lee Jones is currently in talks to take on the role of Sheriff Elroy P. Lobo, originally played by Claude Akins.

The plot of the new B.J. and the Bear is said to be loosely based on the show’s season 2 opener, “Snow White And The Seven Lady Truckers.” If you recall, this episode had B.J. coming to the aid of lady trucker Snow White as she came under attack by the infamous Hi-Ballers trucker gang.

In the upcoming film, Snow White will be played by rising starlet Alexandria Daddario.

The fan favorite second-in-command of the Lady Truckers, the busty blonde nicknamed “Stacks” has also been cast. The AT&T girl herself, Milana Vayntrub is set to lighten her locks and toughen up for the pin-up ready role.

The other 5 lady truckers, twins Teri and Geri, no-nonsense Angie, Samantha, and Callie have yet to be cast. Another tidbits we’ve learned involves the theme song to the film. Greg Evigan sang the original for the TV show, and Oscar Isaac is ready to follow suit. If you’ve seen Inside Llewyn Davis, then you already know he can carry a tune.

We’re already going bananas about the new B.J. and the Bear, and we’re still at least a year out. Who knows? Will Oscar Isaac also follow Greg Evigan’s other tradition of posing for Playgirl?

As always, keep it locked to FakingStarWars for the latest on Star Wars: The Force Awakens and other movies featuring the people from that movie or the other Star Wars movies.

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