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Iconic TV Alien Pitched for New Project

May 24, 2012  •  Post A Comment

An alien character that had a good run on TV in past years is being pitched for a new project, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The character is the furry alien ALF, the star of the 1980s comedy of the same name.

Creator Paul Fusco will be pitching an "ALF" feature film to a major studio, the story says.

"Back in the mid- to late ’80s, ALF was everywhere. Not only was he on his own primetime NBC series from 1986-90 but in guest spots on other shows and even in his own two-season animated series. His likeness — think of an anteater from Brooklyn, if that’s possible — was emblazoned on lunch boxes, T-shirts, video games, plush dolls, even air fresheners," the article notes.

With the resurgence of past pop cultural icons, such as "The Muppets" and "21 Jump Street," the question was "where is ALF?," the story notes.

Fusco, who has worked for years to relaunch the brand, tells the publication that he pitched the original show to Brandon Tartikoff, the television executive who turned around NBC’s prime time with shows such as "Hill Street Blues."

The pitch didn’t go over so well — until Fusco pulled ALF, a puppet, out of a plastic bag from underneath the table, the story says.

“It looked like he was sitting at the table right next to Tartikoff, and it was just silence — they didn’t expect that,” Fusco said, according to the story. “And everyone was waiting for you to say something incredibly funny or something in the moment. And ALF didn’t really say anything. ALF just kind of looked around the room and picked his nose and wiped it on Tartikoff.”

The network bought the show, the story notes.

As for a movie based on ALF, Fusco said he believes the time is right.

“ALF could be more outspoken now than ever, because the world is a whole different place than the ’80s. And I think the character still stands up and certainly has more to say now than ever,” he said.

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