Buckaroo Banzai Trilogy
In the world of the Legion of Lawndale Heroes, The Buckaroo Banzai Trilogy is a highly successful film franchise composed of nine films (eight released, one in post-production and one in pre-production). The Buckaroo Banzai Trilogy follows the adventures of the fictional character 'Buckaroo' Banzai - a half-Japanese, half-American neurosurgeon, inventor and adventurer - who also possesses great scientific skills and musical talents (demonstrated as the head of his band (the Hong Kong Cavaliers), and leads a group of eccentric yet highly skilled individuals known as Team Banzai.
The franchise began in 1984 with The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across The Eighth Dimension, which starred Peter Weller, Jeff Goldblum, Ellen Barkin, John Lithgow and Clancy Brown (famed for his roles in Highlander and his wildly successful television show Earth 2, who has a tendency to die in every film but be resurrected in the next). Unlike in our universe, where no further movies were made and Buckaroo Banzai became a 1980's cult classic film, in this world, Buckaroo Banzai was the #2 film of 1984 and won several awards, including five Academy Awards (Editing, Sound, Set Design, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor - John Lithgow). The success of the film spawned a massive franchise, which is popular even to the present day.
(Peter Weller, the actor who played the title character, went on to have a career as an A-list actor, spurred on by his two wildly successful characters of Banzai and Robocop; in this reality, the writers/producers retained the tone of the first film in the second and third, as well as keeping the cast as intact as possible and focusing on the plot point of 'Murphy' attempting to come to grips with his 'lost humanity'. Robocop 2, by working this theme in a surprisingly sensitive manner that resonated with critics and moviegoers alike, was lauded as a superior film and was nominated for a Best Original Screenplay Academy Award, as well.)
The success of Buckaroo Banzai (or Eighth Dimension, as the fans refer to it) spawned an equally successful 1987 sequel - Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League - and led to the 1990 third film in the series, Buckaroo Banzai and The Reel World Marauders. The fourth film in the series, released in 1993, was Buckaroo Banzai And The Forever Voyage. Two more BB films were released; the last scheduled film - The Fall of Team Banzai was released on Christmas Day, 2007. However, because of the fan outcry and box-office grosses far above expectations, two more Buckaroo Banzai films were announced. The latest, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Team Banzai Reborn! is scheduled to be released on Christmas Day, 2011.
Plans have also been announced by BBC Television and the American pay-television network Starz! to produce a television series based on the adjunct collection of individuals worldwide known as The Blue Blaze Irregulars - the men, women and children who Team Banzai can call on for assistance and support in any crisis or misadventure. The first eight-episode series, tentatively titled The Return of The Lectoids, is scheduled to air on the BBC and Starz! in late November of 2012.
The title, Buckaroo Banzai Trilogy, is a play on the similar collective title attached to the Hitchhiker's Guide books by Douglas Adams, who is still alive in this universe and has written eight books in the series.
Kyle Armalin is a very big fan of the Buckaroo Banzai films.
The films in the series are:
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across The Eighth Dimension – 1984
Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League - 1987
Buckaroo Banzai Versus The Reel World Marauders - 1990
Buckaroo Banzai and The Forever Voyage - 1993
Buckaroo Banzai and the City in The Jewel – 1997
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: The Return of John Whorfin - 2000
Buckaroo Banzai and the Quantum War - 2003
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: The Fall of Team Banzai – 2007
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Team Banzai Reborn! - (in post-production; release date - Christmas Day, 2011)