Universal has given the greenlight to a big screen version of Land of the Lost and inked Will Ferrell to topline the $100 million comedy, to be directed by Brad Silberling (A Series of Unfortunate Events).
We don't remember ever seeing Land of the Lost on TV and a quick straw poll of the office found that nobody, young nor less young, recalls watching it. But it started in the early '70s, when the world was still in sepia and many of us weren't born yet. Or maybe it was just an American thing. So, we can't account for the quality of the original series, but it was, the gods of Wikipedia inform us, about a family of three – Dad and a son and daughter – who are trapped in a world of dinosaurs, cavemen and reptilian creatures. That sounds waaay better than Blue Peter. That didn't have reptilian creatures, unless you count Simon Groom.
$100 million is pretty pricey for a comedy and the last time Universal tried it, with Evan Almighty, it didn't go so well. But, Variety reports that Land of the Lost had to dial its budget back from $125 million to get the go ahead.