Ron Howard would want this young actor to play Richie Cunningham in a Happy Days reboot

"A cooler, hipper Richie Cunningham."

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There are some things that cannot be stopped. Death, taxes, and the flood of remakes and reboots that have saturated our TV sets for the past few years. From Sabrina to Fuller House to Saved by the Bell, every show we knew growing up is fair game.

The Cunninghams are not immune to speculation, either. The concept of a Happy Days revival could potentially make sense. After all, the first series was all about a Seventies nostalgic look at the Fifties. What better show to bring back than one about nostalgia?

During a recent article in Entertainment Tonight, Ron Howard and brother Clint Howard (who appeared with Ron in The Andy Griffith Show) interviewed each other. Clint asked his brother a question that Ron hears frequently: What about a Happy Days revival? 

Ron Howard revealed who he thinks can play Richie Cunningham for a new generation. "There’s this kid, his career is really taking off so who knows, but let’s just say I think Jack Dylan Grazer would be great," Howard said.

Jack Dylan Grazer, best known for his roles in the new It franchise, his role as Freddie in the DC movie Shazam!, and his recent voice work as the lead of the Disney-Pixar film Luca, certainly has the resumé to qualify for a TV lead. However, Ron admits that his reasoning is also a little personal.

"That is Brian Grazer — my partner at Imagine Entertainment — his nephew. But nepotism aside, I think he'd be great. He'd be a cooler, hipper Richie Cunningham," Howard said. "If he was willing to take the job."

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55 Comments

gene 38 months ago
you better enjoy metv, due to a contract with metv i don't get it any more. because the local channel blocks all broadcast, i checked dish, direct, and spectrum but they are not able to broadcast
Newyorkcitygal gene 38 months ago
I think you can pick up the channel with just a tv antenna. That's how I watch. Good luck.
gene 38 months ago
This comment has been removed.
LoveMETV22 gene 38 months ago
Best of luck. It's unfortunate your local station chose not to broadcast MeTV. Sounds like the cable and other providers in your area are unable to as well because of your local affiliates choice.
DethBiz 38 months ago
I think Bill Mumy should play him in a Happy Days reboot.
SteveO 38 months ago
Ron Howard...
As Opie you couldn't help but love the kid, at least black & white.
Color, he was even in character as a quirky teenager.
For men the first 2 or 3 seasons of Happy Days were good but then started losing it.
Richie just became annoying and finally left.
I vote NO on a reboot (as if my vote counts) because like the others are saying, it never reaches the level of quality and popularity the originals once did.
Funny, some of the old shows we lived our life's schedule around their programing schedule tonwatch because we didn't have VCR's yet, don't seem to watch with the same enthusiasm.
Maybe we deserve the reality BS that's on TV now.
Just one person's stupid opinion.
38 months ago
Never was a fan of Ron Howard. Loved him as young Opie, but as he grew into a teen on TAGS, I found him geeky and annoying.
Jaxter14 cabugi 38 months ago
Yes, I agree. I believe he knew that and decided to step Behind the camera.
Jaxter14 38 months ago
Sure took him a long time. We had to endure him enough in front of it 😜
Runeshaper 38 months ago
I agree with Ron; Jack Dylan Grazer would make for a solid RC.
LoveMETV22 38 months ago
I heard on the news a few hours ago that the labor union representing the stage workers is set to go on strike next Monday 10/18/21, against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), unless their contract agreements are met. Which according to the news station I heard it on would bring all current movie and television productions to a halt.
Moody LoveMETV22 38 months ago
Yes the IATSE union, which represents the backstage crews among others authorized the strike over pay & working conditions. It's the first strike in the union's history. Let's hope it gets resolved soon. Here's a link to a story if you're interested: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/04/iatse-strike-hollywood-union-workers-approve-measure-to-call-a-strike.html
LoveMETV22 Moody 38 months ago
I heard on the news yesterday they came to an agreement.
LoveMETV22 38 months ago
Just opinion: I think the cool, hip was best played by Fonzie, Richie was your all-american, and Potsie and Ralph kind of rounded out Fonzie and Richie's characters. Don't do a reboot, remake, revisit or whatever you wish to call it. Let the original have the distinction for the show.
LoveMETV22 38 months ago
AGREE. But Hollywood can’t come up with anything original or fresh. That’s why I watch older movies and tv shows. You will not find writing with the likes of The Dick van Dyke show or the Danny Thomas Show. Or movies based on good novels. Let ‘em strike.
bagandwallyfan52 38 months ago
Moriyah
A Gomer Pyle USMC Reunion
Movie with new actors playing
The original characters is an
Excellent idea but which actors
Could play Gomer Pyle Sgt.
Carter Duke Slater Lou Ann
Poovie Corporal Boyle Sgt.
Hacker Bunny Frankie Lombardi
Lester Hummell or Nick Cuccinelli? I would like to see
Another Gilligan's Island Reunion
Movie but which actors could
Play Gilligan the Skipper
Mr .Howell Mrs. Lovey Howell
The Professor Roy Hinkley
And Mary Ann Summers?
In the original series Dawn Wells
Was great as Mary Ann Summers on Gilligan's Island
And On GOMER Pyle USMC
Elizabeth MacRae was great
As Lou Ann Poovie and
Russell Johnson as the
Professor and Roy Stuart as
Cpl. Boyle were the perfect
Choices to play the Professor
And Cpl. Boyle.
Load previous comments
Wynona Ryder or
Christina Ricci as The New
Ginger Grant in a new
Gilligan's Island TV movie?
HILLARY HORAN(Daphne)
As the NEW Mary Ann Summers on GI movie?
Tom Hanks as the Proffessor
Adam Sandler as Gilligan?
I can't think of any actors
To play Skipper
Mr. Howell
Lovey Howell
Jaxter14 bagandwallyfan52 38 months ago
No c’mon! Actors? That series wasn’t that good to begin with.
Jaxter14 bagandwallyfan52 38 months ago
1938! 38? She was that old? 😱 Wow, she looked a lot younger than that!
bagandwallyfan52 38 months ago
After reading this Happy Days
Possible REBOOT article I went
Back and on my cell phone O
Looked at articles about Cathy
Silvers from 2019 and Ted McGinley from 2017.
Cathy Silvers wants to produce
herself a reboot called
Happy Days Again and she
Wants original Happy Days
Cast Members Henry Winkler
And Ron Howard and herself
And other original cast members
To be in Happy Days Again.
The article on Ted McGinley is
From 2017 and Ted McGinley
Wants Netflix to bring back
Happy Days as a reboot series
With Himself Henry Winkler
And other original cast members
To be in a Reboot of Happy Days. Both of the articles
About Cathy Silvers and
Ted McGinley both talk about
A Happy Days Again rebppt
With the original cast instead
Of new actors being in a
Happy Days reboot.
Go to Google and ask Google
To.pull up the articles about
Cathy Silvers from 2019 and
Ted McGinley from 2017 about
Possible Happy Days Again reboots in the works.
I think that the original cast
Of Happy Days would make
More Sense as a Happy Days
Reunion Movie INSTEAD of
A Happy Days reboot with the
Original cast.I believe that
Ron Howard and Henry Winkler
Would be more likely play
Richie and Fonzie in a Happy
Days Reunion Movie instead
Of a Happy Days Again Reboot series. I wonder if any of the
Minor characters from the
Original cast of Happy Days
Would be in either a reunion
Movie or reboot series.
Does anyone know of a good
Title for a Happy.Days Reunion
Movie? The.Waltons Andy
Griffith Y Gilligan's Island
And Green Acres and Leave
It To Beaver used original cast
Members on their Reunion Movies. If there is ever a reunion
Movie of Happy Days or.a reboot
Of Happy Days Again I would
Like to see minor characters
Like Chuck Cunningham
Bag Zombroski Eugene Belvin
Trudy Wendy Marsha Melvin
Belvin Moose and Spike.
In the original series Randolph
Roberts was only in 2 episodes
Only but he had more AIR TIME
Time than the first Chuck Cunningham Gavan O'Herlihy.
The writers of Happy Days
Gave Randolph Roberts
FUNNIER LINES than Gavan
O'Herlihy and Randolph Roberts
Was in 80 per cent of Happy Days and Gavan O Herlihy was in
Approximatey 20 per cent of the
Happy Days episodes Gavan was
In. Gavan O Herlihy made
Cameo Appearances on Happy
Days while the writers of
Happy Days gave Randolph
Roberts more air time than
Gavan.Ron Howard was excellent in Return To Mayberry.
Jaxter14 bagandwallyfan52 38 months ago
America has changed, you can NOT have all non-people of color in a tv show.
bagandwallyfan52 Jaxter14 38 months ago
Tommy (Kevin Sullivan)
Was in Happy Days from
1980-1984 and he would be
a great addition to the cast of a Happy Days Reunion Movie or a Happy Days Reboot with the original cast NOT a new cast with new actors.
John Anthony Bailey who
Played Sticks Downey Jr
Passed away a while back.
Jaxter14 37 months ago
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Pacificsun 38 months ago
I was reading the gossip out there and this doesn't seem like a sure thing at all.

I'm with the other's opinions, why ruin a good thing and a happy memory.

When they try to recreate magic the effort is no longer unselfconscious and can't help but try too hard.
LoveMETV22 Pacificsun 38 months ago
100% Agreed. Those shows were from a different era and are best left as such. What possible gain do they expect from it. Are they that desperate for shows that they need to attempt to reboot-remake a classic show that was successful after it was originally released. It makes no sense.
LoveMETV22 38 months ago

Absolutely desperate. Nothing but smutty garbage out there. Can’t even watch Family Feud without blatant sexual innuendos (at least Richard Dawson was cheeky about it) or Steve Harvey’s “damn & hell,”
throughout the show … PRIME TIME mind you. Despicable.
texasluva LoveMETV22 38 months ago
Number of scripted TV series in the U.S. 2009-2019
In 2019, the number of original scripted television series in the United States hit 532, up from 495 in the previous year. The figure includes dramas, comedies, and limited series. This is just in the past 10 plus years. I wonder if anyone on MeTV could tell us 5% of those 500+ TV series/shows. I can tell you I have not watched more then 10 of them during that time and only one every episode. I have no idea how many since let's say 1950. Plus how many times have they re-boot Lost In Space and so many others? I am not watching Happy Days 2021 or whenever.
WordsmithWorks 38 months ago
This was really boring. His business partner's nephew? Basing a whole article One comment from a magazine article is lazy writing. As to rebooting "Happy Days," would it be based in the nineties or 00's? I don't think anyone is nostalgic for that.
Moody WordsmithWorks 38 months ago
At my age I'm nostalgic about last week!
LoveMETV22 Moody 38 months ago
🤣🤣
texasluva LoveMETV22 38 months ago
Yep he is. He is already nostalgic about the 2021 Yanks. Then bring up the 20+ WS they won a long, long long, long time ago. He'll get me good for this one-whistling in the dark, hope its not too bad-He's got the ammo
LoveMETV22 texasluva 38 months ago
Lol, Yes he will- you're both good at the bantering. I get a chuckle (not the jelly candy) when you two trade comments (good natured) of course LoL. 🤣🤣
AllisonWunderland 38 months ago
Not too sure about the re-booting of Happy Days 🤔
Moriyah 38 months ago
Man, they should make a Gomer Pyle reboot! Who all agrees with me on that?! (Let me know)
Zip Moriyah 38 months ago
Yes, tenuously.
I am just afraid they would ruin Gomer Pyle. After all, as I have said before, I don't know of anyone they could get to play him that would do him justice.
Moriyah Zip 38 months ago
Yeah, let's hope the show won't get ruined because of that
AllisonWunderland Zip 38 months ago
That's exactly what I was thinking when they suggested the "Happy Days" re-boot 😕
justjeff Moriyah 38 months ago
No offense intended by any means, Moriyah...but I was curious... Do you watch anything else *other* than Gomer Pyle that you are as passionate about? Are there any other classic TV shows you feel hold up against Gomer Pyle? If so, what are they?

I ask because you seem so "hooked" on the show....
Moriyah justjeff 38 months ago
I also watch Svengoolie and Monk, and maybe even Happy Days sometimes (if I have time for it)
Zip 38 months ago
"He'd be a cooler, hipper Richie Cunningham,"

So basically he would be another smart-mouthed, Disney-teen type of Richie Cunningham?
Pass.

Does Ron even understand why people found Happy Days, and Richie Cunningham, appealing?(Hint: Except for The Fonz, it wasn't because the people were "hip" and "cool")
Michael Zip 38 months ago
Remember when Disney was remaking films? Kirk Cameron was in The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, an internet age version. The Kurt Russell one may be "dated" but it's not the same withiut him and his cool gang.
Zip Michael 38 months ago
Yeah, Kurt Russell is awesome in just about everything he is in.
AnnieM Michael 38 months ago
Kurt Russell's Disney movies were awesomely fun. So many of Disney's live-action comedies of the 70's were: "The World's Greatest Athlete", "Gus", "The Apple Dumpling Gang", etc.
AnnieM AnnieM 38 months ago
Oh, and Herbie, the Love Bug! Could not forget to mention him. 😊
Moverfan Michael 38 months ago
Missed that one--not that I mind. Kirk Cameron got thinking he was more important than he was on Growing Pains, especially after he was "born again". He insisted the producers fire the actress who played his girlfriend because she'd posed for Playboy...and they caved!
Deleted 38 months ago
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justjeff 38 months ago
Have you noticed that whenever a studio remakes or reboots a movie or TV series, they "dumb it down" for the current generation and remove the charm, quality or talent level present in the original?
Moverfan 38 months ago
I think it has to do with the intelligence levels at the studios themselves. Remember, the TV shows Starsky & Hutch and 21 Jump Street were dramas, but something happened on the way to the movie screen--and no, those so-called comedies were NOT funny.
38 months ago
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Pacificsun 38 months ago
In agreement!
I think what happens (maybe because they're so jaded) is that they can no longer see a Show as the viewer does. They're busy crunching numbers and calculating how to make a show exciting and all of it.

But the Shows we like today, sometimes got started in a very unselfconscious way. Many were happy to see Season 2 and didn't expect it.

When studios count on popularity just for the sake of profit (there's a surprise) they lose the original intention of the Show to begin with.
AnnieM 38 months ago
Well, 'Starsky & Hutch' was nothing more than a fantasy/vanity project for Ben Stiller, that was clear. Hubby & I saw it on a plane, so we couldn't really avoid it. The whole time watching it, all I could think was, "Ben Stiller must have played this growing up, and now he has the money and clout to have actually turned his childhood pretending into a movie." (At least he did at the time - not so sure about now.)
Moverfan 38 months ago
The first three or four Star Trek films were wonderful (that's all I've seen, so that's all I can judge). I saw the first Mission: Impossible film and loved it--minor objection to who the bad guy was, but that's just me. Then little Tommy Cruise started claiming that because he wore makeup and played pretend in front of the cameras, he knew everything, so he doesn't get any more of my money or attention. And I never could stand Baywatch in any way, shape or form, so we'll just leave that alone.
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