That Buckaroo project was a whole lotta fun. For a while, it seemed like everyone in the graphics department was a volunteer member of the Banzai Institute! Doug did those great sketches, as well as a bunch of cool CGI renderings of Buckaroo’s new underground headquarters (built in an abandoned missile silo) and World Crime League central. Anthony built a miniature Jet Car. Our friend and colleagues at Foundation Imaging did an amazing CGI demo with glimpses of future adventures of Dr. Banzai. Other friends built some amazing props, including a couple of great oscillation overthrusters and a series of potato-energy guns designed by Doug for Dr. Lizardo.
(Above) John Litgow as Dr. Emilio Lizardo, determined to make the “monkeyboys” pay, and Buckaroo prepares to drive the famous Jet Car through a mountain.
Jim made up a bunch of fake “documents” from the Institute. He even volunteered both of his sons, Jason and Jim, Jr. as models for photos on the cover a proposed BB novel. Noted photographer Greg Schwartz did a bunch of great portraits of “young Buckaroo” and “young Perfect Tommy” for that one, and we even snuck a bunch of shots of them on the Paramount backlot! So much fun. We love Buckaroo Banzai, and we love working with W.D. “Rick” Richter, who was the director and one of the producers of the original movie, as well as the spinoff projects. Rick’s enthusiasm and sense of humor is so infectious that you can’t help getting excited. Of course, we’re big fans of Earl Mac Rauch, the quiet genius who invented Dr. Banzai and wrote the script. And the novel. – Mike Okuda
(Above) The Trek art department mocked up a plethora of Banzai passes and identification.
(Below) The Vanover boys Jason and Jim Jr., as Buckaroo and Perfect Tommy, get lensed by noted production photographer Greg Schwartz.
(Below) Mockup album covers by Jimmy Vanover Sr. for “The Hong Kong Cavaliers”.
(Left) the iconic “Oscillation Overthruster”, fabricated for Mike by Greg Jein, a veteran of the original project. Greg built all those crazy spaceships.
(Below) The Banzai Institute West, built into an abandoned missile silo, and designed by Doug.
(Below) Lizardo’s Rhizome-Tuber Accelerator and Projector Tower. This device can focus the energy from the world’s potato fields enabling Dr. Lizardo to steer the earth out of it’s orbit like a sailing ship. Just below the dome there is a “bridge” with a big ship’s wheel to steer us to hell. The tower itself is based on Tesla’s Wardenclyffe project on Long Island, topped off with a vegetable steamer. The steamer opens up and fires a beam of energy into space, powering us out of orbit.
(Below) A gallery of Doug’s sketches of Lizardo, The World Crime League, and various portable Tuber Accelerators.
(Above) Henry, Warlock, Derek, and Bruce of the World Crime League, where Emilio Lizard makes his “Big Pitch”. Man, I love the oddball characters! To be perfectly frank, I’d rather draw this than a spaceship anyday, so I was in heaven when Mike asked me to work these up.
(Above) Love the ionized slinky… where did I come up with that? And a sweat collector! Seems perfectly natural!
(Above) The absurdity of the Banzai world was so appealing to me, it was the flip side of Star Trek. Look at how much fun I had with the wacky details. Oh man… a “Groinal Power Junction (GPJ)”! If I got a chance to art direct something like this, it would be sexy time!
(Above) Double barreled tuber trouble. The plugs in the nose prompted Richter to add Lazardo’s after thought, “Rethink this a lot” .
I liking the voice somewhat myself!
I don’t get it! The Sci Fi channel pumps out gems like “Mansquito”, and we can’t get “Buckaroo Banzai” off the ground! What’s the deal with that?!
(Above) The flexing colanders alone are worth the price of admission.
“The Fry Baby”
Where are we going!?
Planet 10!!!
When are we going?!
REAL SOON!!
I just watched the movie for the first time (and then “The Black Hole” right after that), let me tell you, it was an entertaining but mildly disturbing experience
It was funny hearing all those Trek references (Whorfin, Yoyodyne, “Wherever you go, there you are”) in the movie until I realized that Buckaroo Banzai was there first and the references were inserted into Star Trek to honor the movie. Anyway, here’s a partial list of all the references to the movie in TNG and later Star Trek series:
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Buckaroo_Banzai#The_Adventures_of_Buckaroo_Banzai_Across_the_8th_Dimension
Oh, and what WAS the purpose of that watermelon anyway?
Jörg! More on the watermelon soon!
FoaF-source said that it was a genetically engineered watermelon; the goal was for it to be resilient enough to survive being dropped from an airplane for famine & disaster relief efforts and it was set up in a tensile strength measuring device to evaluate the success of that particular strain. Obviously the testing had been interrupted by the events of the film; I’d like to think they got back to their ‘side-projects’ afterwards when everything calmed down…
You just GOTTA believe that Banzai and company were part of the Trekverse. Too weird and crazy to not have happened.
This monkey boy is soooo very happy you posted this!
I was smiling until I saw the vegetable steamer … and then I laughed.
As Mr. Burns said while watching his first episode of “Itchy & Scratchy”: “Is all television this wonderful?”
I wish there were something as fun, lighthearted, and whimsical as a BB series on TV these days. It would have to be like this though and not morph into something as cheap and bland was that mercifully short-lived “Flash Gordon” series. What that series did to the King of the Impossible was no miracle.
And I just saw the rubber nipples on the Fry Baby.
Paging Mr. Horse …
Big BOOTE! TE! TE! TE! [bang] [groan]
=)
Do not underestimate the power of the spud!
I just love how how BB is interwined with ST, but yet not at the same time.
It’s to bad it didn’t make it. I don’t think it would work if it wasn’t way out there.
At least the props budget wouldn’t have made anybody complain. It would give a whole new meaning to “found parts”.
Doug: “I don’t get it! The Sci Fi channel pumps out gems like “Mansquito”, and we can’t get “Buckaroo Banzai” off the ground! What’s the deal with that?!” – That is a fine question. Sci Fi, or SyFy as they’ll soon be calling themselves, seems to only pepper a few real gems (Eureka, Stargate, Star Trek, etc)among the porcine excrement (ECW, “Sci Fi (un)originals” ad nauseum, etc) of their weekly schedule. I believe that they’ve lost any touch, or desire for, what they claim is their target audience.
Airing a well made Buckaroo Banzai series would, I think, go far in bringing back the viewers they’ve thrown away.
Harry, You forgot BSG!
I remember seeing the demo “trailer” online (before the DVD release) and absolutely loved the idea of the Jetcar saving the shuttle’s landing. A brilliant idea –perfectly believable in the Banzai world.
These designs are awesome and fit in well with established Banzai weirdness (but never go over the top –just weird enough to be interesting and mysterious…and that baby doll head is just disturbing enough).
You had me at “sweat collector”, kept me with “groinal power junction”, and blew me away with that baby buggy.
Those Vanover boys look great in those roles, and if they can act well, them I’m sold.
Gimme this show. Now.
Surely there’s room for it.
m.
Oh, and great likeness of Lithgow in the double-barrelled nose plug drawing.
Hahaha! These are great! The Gronal Power Junction. Too funny!
So…does that CGI demo still exist or has it been captured by Dr. Lizardo?
I hate to admit that I have yet to see this excellently crafted classical film! I have looked for it on Netflix, and the reviews were positive, but some said it took a few airings to really understand and appreciate it.
What I’ve seen of the material here, Doug, I think it’s right up my alley!
I was definitely laughing at your utter silliness in the designs above. 
SciFi is definitely going in the wrong direction at present. Definitely need some more meat ‘n taters (pun intended) shows in the line up and less “porcine excrement”, as Harry said.
I had no idea this much work was done on the proposed series. And who knows, maybe this little blog entry will spark new interest in the project. Heaven knows we could use something fun, vibrant, and imaginative on TV these days.
Mr. Drexler: I’m not sure if you’d have any info on this or not, but when the series was being pitched, was there any word on whether any of the film actors would reprise their roles? Also, those drawings of Worfin suggest that he’d appear in the series. How did the producers plan on bringing him back?
Doug: “Harry, You forgot BSG!” – I’ve not forgotten it at all. No slight was intended. It is on the far too short list of good programming on Sci Fi. My apologies.
More cool stuff, Doug.
I’m still quoting “Usa more honey! Find out what she knows!” some 25 years later. Jeez, was Buckaroo really that long ago?
My brain just exploded. This is some amazing stuff, Doug, amazing and heartbreaking as the series has not [yet?] graced our airwaves. Much of the original movie’s charm is that it seems like the second or third entry in a series, and the end credits’ promise of “Buckaroo Banzai versus the World Crime League” is part of that; but, oh, how I long to see it.
P.S. John Lithgow’s likeness is rather astonishing. You certainly captured his manic energy.
Thanks L.M.! We would have loved to see this go. The reason it doesn’t is mired in politics. Take a minute and E-mail 20th Century Fox and the Sci Fi (or whatever they call themselves now) channel, and tell them you want to see Buckaroo Banzai!
Well I’m sure someone would pick up BB Series in this age of remakes. All we need is someone with the creative vision that could bring this world to life with it’s zaniness in a fun, but interesting, storyline.
Hi Scott! You said: All we need is someone with the creative vision that could bring this world to life with it’s zaniness in a fun, but interesting, storyline.
We have all that ready to go!
What a great post!
Thanks for the sketches.
What material did you envision for the World Crime League’s head coverings there?
This is splendid.
James Swallow! Howdy!
You made a valid point Doug about the Sci-Fi Channel. If ONLY Buckaroo Banzai became a TV show…all of the principles are still around (with the exception of Vincent Schiavelli), this COULD happen. I for one would watch it.
Hi Jim, As far as I know, John Litgow was interested in reprising his role as Lizardo. Apparently the character is near and dear to his heart.
Wow! THat would be AMAZING!
Dear Mr. Drexler,
My son, L.M., is a fan and comments regularly on this site. While I am a long-time lover of Star Trek (I watched the original series on Friday nites in high school, and, as a family, we all went to see a midnight showing of the new movie on an IMAX screen last night – not a small undertaking for a woman my age; both my sons will testify to worrying that I would not stay awake), I am not current on the behind-the-scenes people who made it happen. Other than Roddenberry, of course. It is a wonderful surprise to find your site, and see your artwork.
I appreciated your post this morning on the landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis – I watched it live while having my morning coffee.
And, I am thrilled to see this post re: Buckaroo! Jeez, I will do whatever it takes to see it become a series. My husband and I first saw the movie back when L.M. was a wee lad. There are too few words to describe how much I LOVE this movie. It’s one of my ‘go-to’ DVDs to put on whenever I need a lift, such as when I need to do the ironing, or get on the treadmill. Your drawing for the GPJ is hilarious – if I’m not mistaken, the baby doll head seems to be placed to plug into it when Lizardo’s coat is closed?
Best,
J.
Hello J! It’s a real pleasure to meet you! Welcome! Yes, L.M. is one of our more interesting and entertaining denizens here at the drex files! I am delighted that you enjoyed the Buckaroo Banzai entry. All of us involved feel that a series is an idea whose time has come, and think it would take off like a rocket! If you get a minute, E-mail 20th Century Fox, and the Sci Fi channel and tell them you want to see this series come to fruition. If people show interest, they will take note.
By the way, J, you are quite a terrific artist, and I think everyone would like to drop into your site and see your beautiful, and unusual drawings : http://www.janetoliverstudio.com/
Baby doll head?… GPJ? Close coat? Plug in? If the show ever goes, you can be my assistant art director.
Will definitely email 20th C. Fox and the SciFi channel. Especially if it means a chance to work on the show….thanks for the plug!
A lot of you are saying Sci-Fi should do it. After thinking about it, I don’t think it’s the place for BB. Those guys would need a lot of freedom, so far what I’ve seen on Sci-fi as of late isn’t that good. Or turned into something that makes little sense(Andromeda). Besides SF’s black hole factor(a lot of shows that go in do not come out).
What I’m really saying is most shows these days do not take real chances(most are copycats). BB is a show that needs exceptional people and circumstances to be the show it could be. What I’m afraid of is they will dumb it down to much. It needs Babylon 5 level luck.
ROFL, this stuff would have made freakin’ amazing cult classic TV! “sweat collector” and “groinal power junction” are priceless!
@Max — true, true, Sci-Fi (now branded SyFy) would botch it almost certainly.
The DVD is now out of print from what I can find. It was released in 2002 as a special edition with all the extra workprint footage as extras and the workprint introduction added back in. It also had the space shuttle demo included in the extra material.
I think I’m going to try and find a used copy.
It looks like the real special edition is available on Amazon that say they are in factory packaging – the MGM region 1 release. I guess they didn’t sell them all.
Hey, get all your friends to email 20th Century Fox AND buy the DVD. It would be a boost to the chances of a new show if the DVDs sold out.
Deanne, unless I’m missing it all I see are inviduals selling their copies through Amazon’s Marketplace.
You’re right, Matt, they are individual sellers, but there are 10 sellers that claim they have the new, never opened, factory sealed item…
Oops, forgot to end the block quote
Man, I’d give my left nut to work on a Buckaroo series… hope it doesn’t come to that…
Thanks for posting this and double-thanks for all the support you’ve given to Dr. Banzai.
Ah…if only we lived in a just and true universe where we could watch BB on a weekly basis (preferably right after new episodes of THE MIDDLEMAN).
Thanks again and always true blue!
I just emailed Jeff Field, W.D.Richter’s agent, with my plea for the BB project:
“Dear Mr. Field,
If your, or W.D. Richter’s ears have been burning today, this is why. There is a small, but growing, campaign to bring Buckaroo Banzai to television. I first read about one person’s interest in the campaign today on the Drex Files blog site (http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/). Doug Drexler was initially involved as an illustrator in a start-up BB project in 1998 for the Fox network, called Buckaroo Banzai: Ancient Secrets and New Mysteries, but nothing came of the idea. You may know of Mr. Drexler from his contributions to several Star Trek productions since the 1970s. If not, here is some more information: http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Doug_Drexler
I hope I may be allowed to take this opportunity to add my voice to the group of dedicated, and hopeful, fans (including my husband and two sons) of the original BB movie, and to say that whatever it takes, we are committed to seeing Buckaroo and the Hong Kong Cavaliers on TV, and we hope that you would be interested in such a project. I understand that John Lithgow so loved playing the part of Emilio Lizardo that he would be more than happy to do so again. And I am ready to take over where Ellen Barkin left off…
In any case, it doesn’t hurt to dream that someday, perhaps real soon, the world will again be treated to the adventures of Buckaroo Banzai across the 8th Dimension, right in our own living rooms.
Best regards,”
Let’s hope we can get this thing started…
Doug,
Your blog inspired me and I ran across the old 88 3D model of the Buckaroos jet car I made for FI magically decompressed it into 2009!surprisingly looks ok for a 10 year old model! let me know if you would like it for your future blog renderings of the Banzi.
http://96.9.54.101/liquidguitars.com/assets/images/banzaiBuck-1.jpg
Keep up the good work!
Brandon MacDougall
HI Doug,
I dug up the old 3D Buckaroo bonzi jet car I made in 1999? and beemed it to 2009 for us to look at.
few renders for you on my site:
check out:
http://96.9.54.101/liquidguitars.com/assets/images/banzaiBuck-1.jpg
I would love to see what you could make of it so if you would like me to send it to ya let me know..
all the best and thanks for the mention on your blog!
Brandon
Great pix of the Oscillation Overthruster and the BI Jetcar!
I loved this movie. Must’ve seen it at the theater a dozen times. Thanks for posting the pix. And if there’s any more, much gratitude in seeing them as well!
Finally saw the movie. That is some zany, weird and fun stuff! Okay, now I gotta ask, why the watermelon?
I don’t really wanna fill up someone else’s blog talking about BB (tho, I could – trust me) so I’ll simply point any watermelon-related queries to the FAQ my partner-in-crime Figment maintains:
http://www.figmentfly.com/bb/bbindex.shtml
Or come on down to Yahoo!Groups and join the gang there:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BuckarooBanzai/
You go! Arclight! Do that voodoo!
ArcLight great FAQ, all sorts of stuff I never knew!
The question about the sequel is quite frustrating…
David Begelman, what an ass!
According to an interview I read a long, long time ago – the watermelon is there as an inside reference to all of the pressure the cast and crew were under while they were making the movie.
Tonight, Thursday, August 20th at 9:35 pm will be the last showing of a week long 25th Anniversary run of “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension!” presented by the Laurelhurst Theater in Portland, Oregon. (laurelhursttheater.com) The Saturday night show played to a full house of raucous Buckaroo fans. Blue Blaze pivot point Avalanche (Matt Haley), cover artist for Moonstone’s BB comic books was in attendance and members of the Portland area Blue Blaze Irregulars distributed a special print version of the 25th Anniversary Banzai newsletter.
But that special night was almost not to be. The Laurelhurst had previously tried to book Buckaroo, but were told there were “no prints available”.
Director W.D. Richter lent his considerable clout and broke loose copies for Portland and several other theaters around the country.
Anticipation grew as the anniversary date approached—then disaster! The promised print arrived, but was nothing but blank film. There could be no doubt—this was sabotage of the foulest kind by the World Crime League.
The Laurelhurst’s staff rapidly attempted to secure a non-defective copy, only to be told that “no prints available due to the film’s anniversary”. Undaunted, the theater staff and film distributor cross-referenced the movie and discovered copy misfiled under “Ruckaroo Banzai.” (Apparently stashed for just such an emergency by BBI Scooby-Doo.) The print turned out to be pristine and the anniversary celebration was a joyous one. All is well.
BBI Rainbow Kitty
Ok, i first heard about BB a few posts back. Cant believe i didnt know about it until finding your blog Doug.
Being a massive fan of Trek and Trek designers etc, id love to see BB as a series. I have actually just got hold of a copy of BB and will watch it.
Woukd be awesome to see a show of this. Especially with the amzingly cool John Lithgow.
And i have emailed Paramount on your behalf.
Couldnt resist.
All the best, Chris.
Tweet: @chrishughes1984
From the Banzai files the watermelon was part of another experiment performed by Dr. Banzai to make watermelon rinds strong enough to drop from airplanes. These super-melons could then be air-dropped into areas afflicted by starvation to help the situation. If you notice, the watermelon is under a pressure device to test its strength.