‘Baywatch,’ From Flop To Big-Budget Movie
In Paramount Pictures’ adaptation of the television series “Baywatch,” Dwayne Johnson portrays a beach lifeguard with an unsanctioned sideline — murder investigations, surveillance and drug enforcement; he feels it’s his duty to “protect the bay at all costs.”
Zac Efron, as a junior lifeguard in this $87 million film, finds it a bit much. “I thought that we prevent people from getting sunburned and occasionally stop them from drowning,” he says. “Everything that you are talking about sounds like a really entertaining but very far-fetched TV show.”
As one of the summer’s most anticipated potential blockbusters, with global release dates starti ng in mid- May, t he R- rated action- comedy skewers and celebrates the signature elements that made “Baywatch” one of the most-watched shows in history: namely, sun-soaked drama, slow-motion running montages and beach babes.
But according to Douglas Schwartz and Michael Berk, co- creators of “Baywatch” who also serve as producers on the movie, the television show suffered a succession of near wipeouts that threatened to upend the series before it could crest a wave of mid- 90s popularity, reaching a weekly audience of 1.1 billion in 142 countries.
“The odds were against us,” Mr. Berk said. “Network executives didn’t think there was a series there. ‘How many times can lifeguards run out and do CPR?’ We got canceled.”
Debuting on NBC in 1989, the original “Baywatch” belly-flopped with critics and ranked 74th out of 111 shows airing at the time. Worse, the series — starring David Hasselhoff of “Knight Rider” fame, the Playboy Playmate Erika Eleniak and Parker Stevenson — was canceled after a season when its studio went out of business.
But Mr. Berk and Mr. Schwartz, who are cousins, reacquired worldwide rights for $10. Production money was cobbled together from overseas distributors.
Less money upfront meant slashing the production budget. Several original cast members quit or were fired. Seeking a replacement for Ms. Eleniak’s character during the show’s second season in syn- dication, the showrunners auditioned Pamela Anderson, another Playboy Playmate. Mr. Hasselhoff voiced objections. He recalled: “I said, ‘I don’t want anybody from Playboy. This is a family show.’ ”
Mr. Berk said, “He was afraid Pam and her breasts would upstage him,” adding that she did.
“I never worried about that,” Mr. Hasselhoff said, adding, “But she just oozed charisma. I walked out of the room and said, ‘I’ve changed my mind. Hire her.’ And we hired her on the spot. ”
When it came to a son for Mr. Hasselhoff’s single-father character, Leonardo DiCaprio was considered but ultimately did not get the part. In 1996, “Baywatch” faced another threat, by way of an explicit videotape of Ms. Anderson with her then- husband Tommy Lee.
“There had never been a celebrity sex tape before,” Mr. Schwartz sa id. “A nd we’re a wholesome, family l i f eg u a r d i ng show. We could lose advertisi ng revenue. T hat c ould c a nc el ou r show!”
But the t ap e’s l ea k y i elded t he highest rati ngs to date. “Bay watch” remained popular throughout the ’ 90s, prompting spinoffs before coming to an end in 2001. In 2004, movie rights went to DreamWorks and were later transferred to Paramount. The project finally got the green light in 2014 with the casting of Mr. Johnson. But when the adaptation was filming its final scene, it faced a deadline.
“Universal had Dwayne for ‘The Fate of the Furious,’ and Paramount had him for our movie,” recalled another “Baywatch” producer, Michelle Berk (who is Mr. Berk’s wife). She explained, “We had one night to shoot him and one take. A plane was waiting for him to get him to the set of ‘Fast.’ ”
To hear it from Mr. Berk, though, that additional pressure resulted in “incredible energy” on set that only enhanced the finished film. He said, “Because of the luck and karma of ‘Baywatch,’ every failure and every creative gamble has led to greater benefits.”