The original Police Academy film, developed by Warner Brothers, hit the screen over thirty years ago to marginal success, but could they be getting another crack at it on the big screen? Steve Guttenberg, who played Sgt. Carey Mahoney in the original 1984 film took to Twitter to tease fans about a Police Academy return. Responding to an excited fan asking about a possible sequel set in London, Guttenberg said:
Adam , the next Police Academy is coming, no details yet, but it is in a gift bag being readied!
The series obtained a cult following through its many iterations. Police Academy has made it to all different kinds of media, including movies, animated television, and comic books. Over its decade-long reign, interest in the series began to dwindle within the wider audience. The last time a Police Academy film hit the big screen in 1994, it was a pretty embarrassing commercial and critical flop.
Now with some space for the franchise to breathe, is Police Academy primed for a comeback? It’s important for the franchise to not lean too hard into nostalgia as they are looking to capture a new audience who may have never seen a Police Academy film or episode. It seems like the series creator is devoted to bringing in fresh faces into the franchise. Paul Malansky said this about bringing the series back:
It’s going to be very worthwhile to the people who remember it and to those who saw it on TV. It’s going to be a new class. We hope to discover new talent and season it with great comedians. It’ll be anything but another movie with a numeral next to it. And we’ll most probably retain the wonderful musical theme.
We still know very little about the series comeback aside from it being confirmed to be happening. We’ve seen plenty of cop comedy movies like The Nice Guys, and Ride Along but it’ll be refreshing to see such a classic franchise back on the big screen. Be sure to check back to The Nerd Stash for all updates and news on Police Academy.