70's Show FEZ To Play Ponch In CHiPs Flick

By Wind(up)bird December 8, 2005 6:27 AM

Wilmer Valderrama, Fez from TV's That 70's Show, has inked a deal to play Officer Francis "Ponch" Poncherello in a proposed film adaptation of the hit 1980's TV show, CHiPs. ?Nice career move, Wilmer. Who wants to bet this flick will be even dumber than th Dukes flick was? ?Anyone? ?The great Erik Estrada played Ponch on TV.

Here is a picture of the lovebirds, John and Ponch, during the show's height in the eighties. ?Sigh

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It Begins now   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on December 8, 2005 7:51 AM

This is where his acting career stays narrow and non-expanding.  Why must he be typecast to play roles that are of hispanic/latino format?  He should not settle for these cheesy roles.  He should blaze a trail for hispanic/latino actors.  Not just play these twobit ethnic roles.

RE: It Begins now   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on December 8, 2005 2:28 PM

I agree to a point, but I don't ever see Wilmer "blazing a trail".  He just doesn't have the caliber.  Don't get me wrong, I love him as Fez, but...

Maybe he could just follow the trail that James Edward Olmos, Salma Hayak, Jimmy Smits, Raquel Welch, Ruben Blades, Ricardo Montalban, Rita Moreno, Cesar Romero, John Leguizamo, Horatio Sanz, Desi Arnez, Anthony Quinn, Rita Hayworth, Jose Ferrer... etc. etc.... set.  There are a lot of "blazed trails" nowadays.

But where do you draw the line now?  Want to throw Spanish actors in there too?  Latino is a state of mind.

Personally I am sick and tired of ethnicity being such and issue.  How is it that Ponch is an "Ethnic" role?  Is it because Erik estrada already played it?  It's a no win situation, if someone of latino decent plays the role then they are criticized for being cast in a "ethnic" role, but if they change Ponch to a black, white, or asian guy the film get a bad rap for being "rascist".

Looks to me as though Wilmer is blazing a trail, right behind Erik Estrada...

RE: It Begins now   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on December 9, 2005 8:03 AM

"Maybe he could just follow the trail that James Edward Olmos, Salma Hayak, Jimmy Smits, Raquel Welch, Ruben Blades, Ricardo Montalban, Rita Moreno, Cesar Romero, John Leguizamo, Horatio Sanz, Desi Arnez, Anthony Quinn, Rita Hayworth, Jose Ferrer... etc. etc.... set."
Don't follow. Lead!  Don't live up to someone else's standards.  All these *veteran* hispanic actors, made it on their own.  I don't think they were sitting there daily thinking, "hmmm. I sure hope what I'm doing here now, benefits the upcoming hispanic actors of the future."  Nah.  they did it for the paycheck and the fame.  The more, the better.  Can you afford to ignore the enormous Hispanic market in the United States?  There is a demand now for hispanic actors.  Get in on the ground floor.  Viva la ra$a!

About Wilmer   reply

Posted by zebop (jasonm_us@yahoo.com) on December 9, 2005 3:28 PM

I don't see any problems with his casting. But I guess this is going to be a comedy and CHIPS was a classic drama...

RE: About Wilmer   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on January 26, 2006 7:23 AM

"Why must he be typecast to play roles that are of hispanic/latino format?"

Becuase he's a fucking Hispanic you moron! He's hardly going to play a black guy or a Jew is he?

Chips   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 19, 2006 7:12 AM

It would be good if Wilmer Played Ponch and Ashton Kutcher played John in a Comedy movie and played the roll of the 70s show.

Chip 1977 TV show   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on February 21, 2008 12:33 AM

I think fez is the perfect guy for the job to play Ponch. It was a cool era in history and why not make it interesting, have the writer throw in plenty of Muscle cars in the movie and the cool old school music. The show started in late fall 1977 and not the 80' like it was listed.

Ralph Martigani,Jr
Future Director/Writer