It’s Thursday, so it’s time to remake an 80s classic TV show or movie with an all-new cast. This week: Remington Steele, the 1982-7 NBC romantic comedy series about a female private detective, Laura Holt, who hired a former con man, alias Remington Steele (possible real name: Harry Chalmers), as a front man for her PI agency, because, you know: Who would hire a lady detective? Of course, you could cut the sexual tension between the two of them with a knife. When the show grew into its own in its second season, a former IRS agent, Mildred Krebs, came onboard as the agency’s secretary, third investigator, and mother figure.
(This week’s Dream Cast topic was suggested by my friend Bonnie offline; if you have a suggestion for an 80s TV show or movie we should play with and don’t see me in person to share it, feel free to email me.)
The original cast featured:
Remington Steele/Harry Chalmers: Pierce Brosnan
Laura Holt: Stephanie Zimbalist
Mildred Krebs: Doris Roberts
There’s two options for a movie version. Either it has to go retro, back to the 80s, because no one would believe today that a woman would not be taken seriously as an investigator of crime. Or it has to switch things up by, perhaps, positing a male PI who’s so young (or so young looking, or so not-PI looking) that he’s not taken seriously, and so he hires a (slightly) older and more experienced woman as his front. Mildred can probably stay Mildred, though, in either case.
Here’s my dream cast for the retro remake:
Remington Steele/Harry Chalmers: David Tennant
Laura Holt: Mariska Hargitay
Mildred Krebs: Julie Walters
And for the gender-switcher remake:
Remington Steele/Mary Chalmers: Catherine Zeta-Jones
Larry Holt: Colin Hanks
Mildred Krebs: Julie Walters
(I think our modern female Steele could keep the name “Remington” — it sounds gender nonspecific enough, in the same way that names like “Madison” and “Sydney” do.)
Who’s in your dream cast?
Look, it’s 80s-licious!
Remington Steele: Colin Farrel
Laura Holt: Claire Danes
Mildred Krebs: Lily Tomlin
And for the gender-switcher remake:
Remington Steele: Mary Louise Parker
Larry Holt: Cillian Murphy
Mildred Krebs: Anna Deavere Smith
I never watched the show, so I could be way off base.
Hmm. With the original setup (female PI not taken seriously) Cillian Murphy would make a great Steele. He was so great in _Sunshine_. Ooh, Michelle Yeoh as Laura! LOL.
Ok, maybe not, because as you say, the original setup wouldn’t work these days.
Well the original setup would work if the female PI came off like an airhead.
They’d clearly market it as a follow up to Legally Blonde. They’d call cast Reese Witherspoon as Laura…but they’d have to rename her Elle of course. And They’d cast Shia LeBeouf as Remington because he’s a hot property right now.
And then they’d cast the woman who was the mom on Everybody loves Raymond as Mildred.
And you and I would not watch it.
Retro-tastic 80s Version – skewed slightly younger for the Gossip Girl generation:
Remington Steele: Paul Bettany
Laura Holt: Keri Russell
Mildred Krebs: Ginnifer Goodwin (Anyone other than Wanda Sykes)
Gender-Switch:
RS: Lena Headey
LH: Chris Pine
MK: Ginnifer Goodwin again
I was gonna go with Paul Bettany myself. I’m just anxious to see the Farrel we saw in “In Bruges” again real soon.
Standard Setup
Don’t have to go retro if you make Laura Holt a one-time fashion model. It isn’t that people don’t take her seriously because she is a woman as much as it is is because she has this other more public persona.
Remington Steele: Daniel Craig
Laura Holt: Sarah Jessica Parker
Mildred Crebs: Cher
Gender-flipped Alternative
In this variant, Larry is an uber-genius (think Encyclopedia Brown a little older) and so he hires the “front girl” to be the detective.
Remington Steel: Halle Berry
Larry Holt: Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Mildred Crebs: Glenn Close
Then you’d have *Moonlighting.* :->
Remington Steele: David Tennant
Laura Holt: Elisabeth Röhm
Mildred: Alfre Woodard
i love Alfre Woodard, and want to see her in almost *anything*… anything worthy of her talents that is.
my suggestion for the gender switcher:
Remington Steele: Alfre Woodard (i did warn you!)
Larry Holt: David Tennant
Morton Crebs: Wallace Shawn
I’ve never seen this show, it actually looks kind of cool, in a desperately ridiculous kind of way.
Good suggestions, here’s my addition:
RETRO
Remington Steele: John Travolta
Laura Holt: Selma Blair
Mildred Crebs: Judi Dench (though Julie Walters would probably be better)
GENDER-SWITCH
Reminton Steele: Angelina Jolie
Larry Holt: Thomas Sangster (I’d go the genius-kid route)
Mildred: Judie Dench
Ahh a RS movie, my dreams would come true.
Remington Steel: Im sorry I just cant name anyone because I feel there is no other than Brosnan.
I feel so old right now. OK OK.
Remington Steel: Gillian Anderson
L. L. Holt : David Duchovney
WRONG the original cast was Stephanie Zimbalist, Pierce Brosnan, James Read and Janet DeMay. She still looks great! https://www.facebook.com/janet.demay