New Pac-Man TV Series Could Tackle Racism

John Funk

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Dec 20, 2005
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New Pac-Man TV Series Could Tackle Racism



A Marvel movie producer wants to revive the Pac-Man TV series in 3D, and he wants it to have more depth than just fighting ghosts: It could tackle social issues like racism, too.

This gets filed under "wait, what?": At an E3 2010 gathering celebrating Pac-Man's 30th birthday, Marvel producer Avi Arad dropped a bomb - he wanted to bring the iconic yellow puck back into the limelight with a TV show. The show would be created with CGI animation, and also filmed in stereoscopic 3D for those with fancy-pants new 3D-capable televisions.

But that's not the weird part, oh no. I mean, Pac-Man isn't as famous these days as he once was, but he's still an instantly recognizable icon. Bringing him back for a TV show isn't a horrible idea; it'd certainly spark nostalgia in children of the 80s.

The weird part is just how much depth Mr. Arad imagines in the little yellow puck's world.

"We wanted to keep Pac-Man the same lovable guy he has always been, but [put him[ in the 21st century," Arad told Variety [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118020718.html?categoryid=1009&cs=1]. "We [also] wanted to talk about real stories and ... see how they can relate to our lives, being in high school and being a teenager. At the end of the day, it's the story of a reluctant hero."

Here I thought it was the story of a guy who was gobbling down pellets and fighting ghosts. Wow, I must have missed a ton. But that's not all, because Mr. Arad also sees in Pac-Man the option to use fantasy elements to explore real social issues.

"We feel we have a unique opportunity to have an action adventure, human interest story ... [as] a filmmaker, it's a unique opportunity to get to know the characters you play. We don't know what happened to Pac-Man's parents. He's the only yellow one in Pac-Land; what does that mean? Is it a social statement? We'll find out."

Will Ms. Pac-Man just be Pac-Man putting on a bow and lipstick as he explores his own gender identity? I guess we'll find that out, too.

(Via MTV Multiplayer [http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2010/06/18/arads-3-d-pac-man-tv-series-to-explore-racism/])

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jad4400

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Jun 12, 2008
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What?...........................Really?......................Are you kidding me? Can Pac-man really tackle social issues, I' m mean what happens if he eats a power pellet? Does he go into a long exposition about the the equality of all individuals or somthing?
 

JourneyThroughHell

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Sep 21, 2009
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I think the producer is trying to tackle common sense with this one.
I have no idea how they're going to even attempt this one.
 

AvsJoe

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May 28, 2009
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I really don't see this being a good idea at all. Here's hoping that this is the last we hear of it.
 

Not G. Ivingname

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Nov 18, 2009
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The_root_of_all_evil said:
John Funk said:
This gets filed under "wait, what?"
Yeah, hopefully permanently filed.

Although, could it actually be worse than this...
John Funk said:
"We feel we have a unique opportunity to have an action adventure, human interest story ... [as] a filmmaker, it's a unique opportunity to get to know the characters you play. We don't know what happened to Pac-Man's parents. He's the only yellow one in Pac-Land; what does that mean? Is it a social statement? We'll find out."
YES!
 

Gabanuka

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Oct 1, 2009
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W...T...F Pac-man has no fucking story! Its about a thing that eats pellets, thats it!
 

Jared

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Jul 14, 2009
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Pacman! he could entertain us way back when, and now! He can fix our social problems too! All for been a small, part eaten yelloe pie!
 

HT_Black

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May 1, 2009
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Say whaaaat?

I'm sorry, but I just can't see-- for the life of me, even-- how this is anything other than a horrible idea wrapped in the trappings of a nostalgia trip.
 

syndicated44

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Apr 25, 2009
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This strikes me as not as weird as I initially thought. Think about how many old kids shows hit problems like their dads an alcoholic, gang violence, divorce, domestic abuse, parents running a racketeering operation in the basement, father being a traitor to the country, evil russians kidnapping poor red white and blue kids, uhhh bullying. So I can see somehow they would work racism into pacman. I mean the ghosts are different colors.
 

dududf

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Aug 31, 2009
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wat.

If they try to say Pacman is asian, or something of that ilk, how are they going to explain away his pill eating habbits, and his regular use of psychedelics?

Wouldn't this be potentially be racist in its self?
 

LockeDown

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Sep 27, 2009
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I fear that this venture will result in a story about this pill-popping junkie in a yellow ball cap hiding in a corner as he hallucinates that a quartet of evil spirits are after him. In his delirium, the hero basically goes on a rampage through the city.

...

I also fear that people will watch this movie, which will validate future attempts to make more like it.
 

TheNumber1Zero

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Jul 23, 2009
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He's the only yellow one in Pac-Land
So I'll take it Ms. Pac-Man will be saved for the Valentines day special?
(Update: For the Safe Sex episode of course)

Anywho, I'm gonna go with "......"

Never seen the original Pac-man show (Outside of part of a Christmas Special), but I think I'll go ahead and avoid this.
Still, if it brings in the Monies, they may as well go for it.