Paul Reubens Updates Us on the New ‘Pee-wee Herman’ Movie

Two years ago, it was revealed that Judd Apatow was shepherding a new Pee-wee Herman film to the big screen, with Pee-wee himself, Paul Reubens, co-writing the script. Then things got quiet. Really quiet. Recently, Coming Soon was able to speak with Reubens regarding the project. We've got a few highlights below.

On the subject of the script, Reubens says "...it's going great. We have a meeting this coming week. We just dd a very quick rewrite on it. As far as I know, it's getting shot very soon."

This is a pretty typical non-answer, especially since having a meeting is akin to breathing in Hollywood and it's hard to imagine it getting shot very soon when a director hasn't even been announced. When the project was first announced, it was heavily suggested that Apatow's involvement extended beyond being a producer and into the "potential director" category, but he has been pretty quiet on the matter. With his next film, 'This is 40,' opening this year, we can definitely expect to hear more as he makes the press rounds.

As for the lengthy silence on the film, Reubens admits that word broke far earlier than intended, saying that "...it got leaked about six months to a year before it was supposed to." He also promises that he's going to follow up the next Pee-wee Herman adventure with "two incredible projects" and "would give anything to be able to brag right now and drop some names."

Can Reubens stage a comeback? 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure' is undeniably a classic (and still one of Tim Burton's best films) but it was released in 1985. The sequel, 1988's 'Big Top Pee-wee' is considered skippable by everyone except the most diehard fans. However, the ensuing decades have been kind to the character, with a whole new generation discovering (and their parents rediscovering) the films and the 'Pee-wee's Playhouse' series on DVD. In 2010, the character returned with a new stage show, which proved highly succesful.

What do you think? Are you ready for the return of Pee-wee Herman?