The Forgotten Will Ferrell & Danny McBride Sci-Fi Flop That Lost Millions

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The Forgotten Will Ferrell & Danny McBride Sci-Fi Flop That Lost Millions

Will, Holly, and Rick, standing in a cave in Land of the Lost. A bell is above Holly's head.

Universal Pictures

Brad Silberling’s 2009 film “Land of the Lost” was a feature-length spoof of the 1974 NBC adventure series co-created by Sid & Marty Krofft (of “H.R. Pufnstuf,” “The Bugaloos,” and “Sigmund and the Sea Monsters”). The Krofft shows of the ’70s and ’80s were all fantasy programs that typically centered on parallel universes, fun puppets, and wild monster costumes.

Their “Land of the Lost,” which ran for 43 episodes over its three seasons, was the Kroffts’ headiest, least comedic series. It followed the adventures of Rick (Spencer Milligan) and his kids Will (Wesley Eure) and Holly (Kathy Coleman) as they accidentally crash through a dimensional portal while whitewater rafting. They arrived in a prehistoric world overrun by dinosaurs and a species of Sasquatch-like protohumans called Pakuni. There are also wicked, threatening humanoid reptiles in this universe called Sleestaks who live in a series of underground chambers. There are magical crystals in the caves, as well as mysterious obelisks that may have the power to open portals and potentially return the trio to their home dimension.

“Land of the Lost” may be the best-known of the Krofft canon (there was even a TV remake in the 1990s), so it stands to reason that a major Hollywood studio, thirsty for nostalgia dollars in the late ’00s, would want to adapt it into a feature film. Silberling even seemed like a logical choice to direct, as he had already helmed elaborately designed kid flicks like “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events” and “Casper.” In a baffling choice, however, the writers of “Land of the Lost” decided to turn the adventure tone of the low-budget series into a farce, casting Danny McBride, Will Ferrell, and Anna Friel as crass, callow, adult versions of their Krofft counterparts.

The adaptation was not well-received by audiences or critics (though /Film’s reviewer liked it at the time). It currently sports a 26% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and earned only $68.8 million on a $100 budget. It got seven Razzie nominations.

No one liked Land of the Lost

Will, Rick, and Holly from Land of the Lost, an army of Sleestaks sneaking up behind them.

Universal Pictures

One can kind of see what Silberling and his screenwriters, Chris Henchy and Dennis McNicholas, were getting at. If anyone remembers “Land of the Lost,” they likely only recall its small budget and borderline campy storytelling. In some ways, it stands to reason that a nostalgic reboot would want to lean into the show’s notoriously chintziness by transforming it into a farce. Also, the Kroffts’ shows were famously wholesome, and it was popular in 2009 to satirize wholesomeness with a counterattack of crassness. With that approach, why not cast comedic actors like Will Ferrell and Danny McBride to play the lead characters?

The movie also eliminated the family dynamic, transforming Will and Holly from Rick’s children to a pair of adult colleagues. Indeed, Holly became Rick’s love interest, and Will became a shiftless amusement park owner. No doubt there was meant to be an incest joke embedded in Rick’s and Holly’s relationship. Also, the new film was rated PG-13, allowing for dirtier jokes and a generally more adult tone than the original show. TV stars Wesley Eure and Kathy Coleman were supposed to have cameos, but their scenes were cut from the final film. The Pakuni child Cha-Ka (played by Philip Paley in the original series) was also aged up, now played by Jorma Taccone.

The premise of the show was at least maintained for the movie. The three lead characters still venture into a cave in an inflatable raft, and still float through a dimensional portal into a land of dinosaurs and Sleestaks. Because the film’s budget was so extravagant, the Sleestaks all looked fantastic, bearing the same scary, enlarged eyeballs as on the series.

What the creators thought of Land of the Lost

Chaka looking confused in a cave in Land of the Lost

Universal Pictures

After the film tanked, Universal Pictures’ Ron Meyer infamously began lambasting it, saying that it was a well-intentioned comedy that lost its way. Universal, he said, was simply making “too many s***ty movies,” of which “Land of the Lost” was one. The Kroffts also hated it, and they would eventually apologize for “Land of the Lost” while talking to ComicBook.com in 2017. They called it one of the worst movies ever made, and wished they’d had more creative control over the project.

Only Danny McBride has stepped forward to defend “Land of the Lost.” In 2012, he, like, the Kroffts, also apologized for making the movie, expressing regret that it offended fans of the 1974 TV series. He also explained, though, that a comedy version of “Land of the Lost” was still a good approach to the material, as a straightforward dinosaur adventure would have simply looked like Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park.” A farce, he felt, was better than a retread.

As mentioned, “Land of the Lost” became notorious enough to attract the attention of the jackals who run the Golden Raspberries. It was nominated for Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Actor, Worst Couple, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Supporting Actor. It “won” Worst Remake. “Land of the Lost” lost most of its awards to “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”

Sadly, the failure of “Land of the Lost” seems to have scared Hollywood away from further adaptations of Krofft TV shows. There was a web-based update of “Electra-Woman and Dyna-Girl” in 2016 and a reboot of “Sigmund and the Sea Monsters” in 2017, but theaters have remained Krofft-free. We may still be years away from redeeming the property.