Years ago, Sports Illustrated featured an amusing sidebar discussing the hypothetical real world careers of select athletes from popular sports movies. We were tickled to entertain the notion that, after the “Major League” films, Charlie Sheen’s Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn would have a mildly successful career as a spot reliever and lights-out closer, commanding at least one wildly inappropriate big money contract. Now, thanks to David S. Ward and his fan-fiction-like reach for relevancy, we might actually get to see that happen.
Ward, the writer-director of “Major League,” is apparently in discussions with Morgan Creek about a new installment in the “Major League” franchise built around Sheen’s Vaughn character. “It’s 20 years later, and Wild Thing comes out of retirement to work with this 19-year-old player”, Ward says. “We’ve actually got three new characters in the new film. And if the new film is popular, they could carry the franchise on”. So, a remake of the first film, with Vaughn taking the place of Tom Berenger’s Jake Taylor? It’s just so crazy it might work!
The “Major League” series, if you recall, spanned three films, the first considered a minor sports comedy classic. The first and second films in the series focused on the hapless, cellar-dwelling Cleveland Indians. The third one, which everyone has long since forgotten, was a low-rent story of a minor league team in the Minnesota Twins system, but it managed to retain Corbin Bernsen and Dennis Haysbert, the only players to return for all three films (beloved announcer Bob Uecker was also brought back, common sense be damned).
Even though none of these guys are playing age anymore, Ward, who last directed 1996’s “Down Periscope,” wants to have Sheen and Berenger reunite with original cast members Bernsen and even Wesley Snipes (recast in the second one with Omar Epps – boo). We guess there are roles for them as instructors or assistant coaches, but if they don’t get Chelcie Ross back teaching some rookies how to throw a snotball, we’re not interested.