There’s this thing that happens at the end of Marley and Me and I really need you to know what it is before you read this article, because if you don’t know then I really can’t… the dog dies, it’s very sad, and it may have scarred some small children when their families learned a powerful lesson when the film was released (On Christmas Day) about the value of reading reviews before a film premieres. Now you know.
Despite that epic tear-inducing loss at the end of the Owen Wilson/Jennifer Aniston starring film, though, NBC believes that there is more pain (and laughs!) to unearth with a new put-pilot about the Grogan family, who has come back to Florida to move on with their lives.
However, when a stray puppy (“owned”, but not well, by their neighbors) ends up on their doorstep, they are forced to adopt it. This dog, named Marley for the fact that they use Marley’s old leash and tags on her, is as willful, destructive and delightful as her original namesake. She will help shed light not only on the growing pains of the Grogan family, but also the lives of the neighbors, and fellow dog-owners, around them.
So they’re kindly dog-nappers now? I don’t quite understand the inspiration behind the “sequel” angle that former Big C producer Jenny Bicks is taking. I also think that naming the dog Marley and using his old leash and tags feels creepy. Why not just adapt John Grogan’s novel again and make it a reboot? I would assume that they’re going to have to re-cast since I doubt that either Wilson or Aniston will reprise their roles. Are they worried that people won’t tune in because they already know the grim ending? I suppose that makes some sense, but I’m not naively going into this show with the assumption that Marley 2.0 makes it to the end of this series, either. Fool me once Marley and Me, fool me once.
Source: The Wrap
