As a young man I have to admit that Fantasy Island was part of my regular television watching week. I can’t say it’s something I’m particularly proud of, but that’s me, warts and all. The island was a place you got what you desired from the kinda creepy Mr. Roarke and his little person assistant, Tattoo. When he rang the bell and called out “boss, boss, da plane, da plane,” it was time for some supernatural crap to start happening.
Now Variety is reporting that there is a biopic being planned for Herve Villechaize, the French actor whose greatest, and arguably only, claim to fame was playing Tattoo on the weekly series. The movie, My Dinner with Herve, will be written and directed by Sacha Gervasi. The French journalist conducted the last interview with Villechaize, before the actor shot himself in 1993.
Screenwriter Steve Zaillian (Schindler’s List, American Gangster) will produce and the feature marks Gervasi’s directorial debut. He explains the appeal of Villechaize by saying, "Herve wasn’t just a pop culture icon; he was one of the most charming, cultured and dangerous people I’ve ever met. His is the story of a unique misfit trying to find his place in the world." This seems like material more suited to an E! True Hollywood Story, but it will probably hit the big screen in 2010.
