Not too long ago I wrote about the risks of remaking a film into a TV show, such as Blade. Making the transition from hit series to big budget movie can be just as risky.

Michael Mann’s Miami Vice, starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx, has already suffered quite a bit of problems even before its release.

Apparently executives at Universal Studios were furious over the movie’s ever-growing budget and frequent delays, such as Farrell’s stint in rehab for exhaustion and dependency on prescription drugs. They also lost over 120 members of the crew for various reasons, although many cite Mann’s obsessively demanding nature as the main cause.

In addition to the numerous hurricanes that threatened production, there was also a shooting incident! Several gunshots were fired outside the hotel in which they were filming (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic). Luckily no cast or crew were harmed, but Foxx insisted on returning to the U.S. after the incident, forcing the ending – which was to be filmed in Paraguay – to be rewritten.

The movie is based on the hit 80’s series starring Don Johnson and Phillip Michael Thomas as duo Crockett and Tubbs. Another “buddy” cop series, Starsky and Hutch, was turned into a goofball comedy starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. Drew Barrymore’s take on Charlie’s Angels was a huge hit and even inspired a sequel, but The Mod Squad was less successful. Other TV shows that became movies include The Fugitive, The Addams Family, Dukes of Hazzard, and the unfortunate Bewitched.

One might wonder if Farrell is ready to fill the shoes (sockless of course) of Don Johnson’s character. I don’t quite remember Sonny Crockett being so… “greasy”, but I suppose Mann has taken some creative licenses here and there, including Farrell’s hair choices. This isn’t Farrell’s first remake though; he also starred in S.W.A.T. based on the 1975 series.