Now that it has been officially revealed to be a fake, the Dundee commercial has sparked a petition calling for the movie to actually be made.
“On behalf of Crocodile Dundee lovers around the world, we petition Paul Hogan and actors to create a new installment of the movie. Australia wants it, the world wants it. Stop teasing us and make it happen!” the petition reads, as reported by Page Six.
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Boasting star-power from the likes of Danny McBride and Chris Hemsworth, the faux movie trailer turned out to be an ad for Tourism Australia.
Not long after the first adds appeared, a “cast trailer” debuted which revealed that Margot Robbie, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Isla Fisher, Ruby Rose, and Liam Hemsworth were all signed on as well.
Earlier in January, it was reported that “industry sources” suggested that the new Dundee project was not a major motion picture, but, in fact, a very elaborate ad campaign for Tourism Australia.
When the teasers first appeared, they were apparently met with skepticism from people in the film production community, as no one could point to any specific filming announcements or notifications regarding the “movie.”
One other interesting thing that was discovered is that the director listed on Dundee is Steve Rogers, a well-known commercial director in Austrialia.
The first teaser for Dundee featured McBride wielding a large Crocodile Dundee-style knife. A second trailer introduced Hemsworth.
A premise for the project on its official website elaborated a little more on an established plot. Apparently, Crocodile had gone missing and his son Brian was “the only person who might be able to find him.”
Brian is the “son of a legend” who is “forced to channel his Aussie roots as he teams up with a local expert, Wally Jr.” The two of them will “embark on the ultimate adventure in the land down under.”
The first Crocodile Dundee film came out in 1986 and was very well-received, as it brought in nearly $330 million on a budget of less than $10 million.
It also garnered several award nominations, with Crocodile Dundee himself Paul Hogan taking home a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
Crocodile Dundee II came out two years later in 1988 and was not quite as well-received as the original, but still had a huge box office revenue. It raked in just shy of $240 million on a budget of only $14 million.
Finally, the third film in the franchise, Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, came out in 2011 and was mostly panned by critics and fans alike. The critic consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads, “A family movie without toilet jokes, but there’s nothing that haven’t seen before.”
