After the release of his film JASON LIVES: FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI, director Tom McLoughlin was approached with the idea of making FREDDY VS. JASON – if Paramount and New Line had been able to work out a deal for the crossover in the '80s. McLoughlin couldn't see how that would work, so he pitched an alternative idea to producer Frank Mancuso Jr. He told Mick Garris on the podcast Post Mortem that he said,
‘You know what? You guys own Cheech and Chong. What if we do Cheech and Chong-meets-Jason? They’re like camp counselors or something. It’s like, ‘Hey, man, I saw Jason out there.’ ‘No, man, that’s a myth.’ But (Mancuso) said, ‘You know what? No.'"
As it turns out, if Mancuso had approached Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong with the idea, it sounds like at least half of the comedy duo would have been up for crossing paths with Jason.
Speaking with Movieweb to promote the release of Richard Stanley's COLOR OUT OF SPACE, which he has a role in, Chong revealed that, even though he's not a big fan of horror, he has "been trying to write a Cheech and Chong horror movie."
Every comedy team before they broke up, they always had a horror movie. Abbott and Costello Halloween. Abbott and Costello meet the monster. Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, they had one. Everybody has a horror movie. So I always wanted to do a horror movie. In fact, we did a reunion tour movie and I wanted to make that a horror movie but I didn't have the clout that I once had with Cheech, so I couldn't talk him into it. It's a nice genre to play with, you can have a lot of fun with it. Like GET OUT, I like that approach to it."
Chong went on to say, "I doubt it will get made." I really hope it does get made, because I would love to watch Cheech and Chong make their way through a horror scenario.
Now I'm sad that McLoughlin didn't get to make CHEECH AND CHONG MEET JASON thirty years ago.
COLOR OUT OF SPACE is in theatres as of today, and will reach 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD via RLJE Films on February 25th. Copies can be pre-ordered HERE.
Chong also has a cameo in Kevin Smith's JAY AND SILENT BOB REBOOT, which was released on DVD and Blu-ray this past Tuesday, the 21st. Copies of that film can be purchased HERE.