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Remember CHiPS? Now It's A Movie, And The First Trailer Is Here
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The new CHiPS
CHiPS, a television show based on the California Highway Patrol that aired on NBC from 1977 to 1983, is now hitting the big screen. Who needs new ideas when there are old ones to bring back to life! This one will bring back the old characters, Ponch and Jon, who will now be played by Michael Peña and Dax Shepard for the feature length remake of the series.
The light TV drama focused on the two CHP motorcycle police officers, who over 139 episodes saw a fair amount of "over-the-top freeway pileups... a signature of the show." How did they do it? According to a CHiPS fan site:
"Most of the big car-wreck and chase scenes were filmed on two stretches of freeway not yet in operation. The first few seasons, they were building the I-210 out in the San Fernando Valley and so they used that stretch a lot.
In the last few seasons, the I-210 link had already been opened, so they moved to the Long Beach end of the I-710 freeway (I-710 was CA-7 back then), where they were building about a 2-mile stretch."
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The feature film has some freeway stunts, but major pileups appear to be missing from the newly released trailer:
As for the movie reboot, Deadline reports, "Like the original series, CHIPS sees officer Jon Baker and officer Frank “Ponch” Poncherello paired off as motorcycle cop partners in the California Highway Patrol based out of Los Angeles. The twist this time out, Poncherello is a cocky undercover Federal agent investigating a multi-million dollar heist that may be an inside job—inside the CHP, while Baker is a former pro motorbiker trying to put his life and marriage back together." Shepard's real life wife, Kristen Bell, plays his on-screen wife as well.
The movie hits theaters March 24th.
Here's a look at the original opening credtis for the show, with a very of-its-era instrumental theme song.
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