TV programming is often cyclical, and viewers are no strangers to networks trying out obviously doomed projects, as if everyone involved had forgotten when similar attempts were tried and failed. Speaking of TV trends and forgetting things, the newest movie-to-TV adaptation to plant its flag in Hollywood is an episodic take on Michel Gondry's modern classic Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Crazy or genius? Or both?
Whether you're banging your head on your desk or pumping your fist in cheer, let's calm it down a notch. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is in the earliest stages of its potential transition, and it will be a producer partnership between Anonymous Content's Steve Golin, who was one of the names behind the original, and Universal Cable Productions. The most unfortunate part of all this is that co-writer and director Michel Gondry won't be involved, and neither will other co-writers Charlie Kaufman or Pierre Bismuth. That could change, certainly, but I'd assume they would already be attached if anyone was interested.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind already has someone tapped to take on the script-writing, too, as Chuck vet Zev Borow will be penning the drama. (Possibly just a pilot at this stage, but Universal Cable Productions is a company that tends to seek out up-front orders from networks, so we'll see how that plays out.) Borow also lent his writing talents to shows such as Human Target, Mad Dogs and Forever, so he knows something about dropping characters into high-concept situations. It's too bad none of those latter shows lasted as long as Chuck did.
Unfortunately, THR doesn't have any actual details to share as far as how the TV version of Eternal Sunshine would play out. (Though we've already had ideas about it, as seen here.) Its sorta romantic throughline could certainly pave the way for an extended tale about a couple dealing with reconnecting after a troubled past. Or maybe it'll go in a different direction, just using the concept of memory erasing as a core idea to introduce into other story molds beyond romances. The horror and spy genre are well accustomed to characters whose memories are messed up. Just saying.
A new take on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is definitely one of the more interesting remakes and revivals that are in development right now. (I'm also quite partial to the Lost Boys and Departed reboots.) Anonymous Content was the company who made True Detective and Mr. Robot happen, as well as The Knick and the upcoming Netflix drama Thirteen Reasons Why. Against all odds, this thing could be amazing, even without Gondry and Kaufman on board. (But seriously, someone should get them on board.)
As the project is in its earliest stages, nothing can be guessed about when Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind will get more good news. Or bad news. Either way it goes, it's always a good time to watch the movie, and when that's done, check out our fall TV schedule to see what's actually making its way to the small screen soon.
