Dax Shepard is committed to next year’s big-screen CHiPs reboot. As the writer, director, producer and star of Warner Bros.’ forthcoming cinematic revitalization, Shepard isn’t just filling in Larry Wilcox’s shoes as Officer Jon Baker in the upcoming movie. While the actor’s background suggests something slightly ironic and heavily comedic, possibly along the lines of 2004’s Starsky and Hutch or, more recently, 21/22 Jump Street and next year’s Baywatch, that’s actually not what Shepard has in store for us.
In a recent interview with EW, who debuted the photo above, Shepard talks about how he’s taken an approach similar to Bad Boys and Lethal Weapon. While the film’s not going to be entirely straight-faced, it’s also not going to be a tongue-in-cheek lark, either.
It’s interesting because it’s definitely a comedy where the show is not, but the stakes are very real and the world is real and the physics are real and all those things are grounded. Insane situations happen but it’s not happening in a satire world or a heightened world. It’s a very real world.
Joined by Michael Pena, who takes on Erik Estrada’s role of Officer Frank “Ponch” Poncherello, CHiPs promises something that’s not quite a laugh-a-minute riot, yet also not something too serious and high-minded. As he proved in his previous directorial effort Hit and Run, Shepard has a clear affection for engine-fuelled vehicles, low-to-the-ground action stunts and speedy chases. Hopefully, that results in a genuinely thrilling and engaging new movie when CHiPs rides into theatres on March 24, 2017.