At this point, every television show that has enjoyed some success over the years is a likely target for Hollywood’s nostalgia-fueled, “R”-rated comedy machine, so it’s no surprise that the first trailer for CHiPs — based on the lighthearted crime series that premiered in 1977 — arrived this week.
And while the film doesn’t look nearly as funny as the surprisingly good 21 Jump Street movie adaptation, the trailer does have some funny moments — and a lot of jokes about (and close-up shots of) Dax Shepard’s crotch.
Written and directed by Shepard (Idiocracy, Parenthood), the film casts Ant-Man and End of Watch actor Michael Peña alongside Shepard as a pair of California Highway Patrol officers from very different backgrounds who find themselves caught up in a dangerous case involving corrupt cops and a multimillion dollar heist. Shepard plays Jon Baker, a former pro motocross biker, while Peña plays Frank “Ponch” Poncherello, a federal agent who goes undercover with the CHP to investigate the case.
The film is based on the CHiPs television series that aired for six seasons from 1977 to 1983, and starred Larry Wilcox as Baker and Erik Estrada and Poncherello. The series ran for 139 episodes and one reunion movie.
Unlike the series that inspired it, which was a fairly lighthearted police sitcom that rarely featured its stars drawing their weapons, the CHiPs movie appears to be a raunchy, explosive adventure in the vein of the aforementioned 21 Jump Street movie franchise.
The film co-stars Rosa Salazar (The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials), Adam Brody (The O.C.), Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars), and Vincent D’Onofrio (Daredevil).
CHiPs hits theaters March 24.
