Is There a New ‘Crocodile Dundee’ Film or Not?

One of the stranger pop culture arguments currently underway is one few people could have expected: Is there a new “Crocodile Dundee” movie coming out, or isn’t there?

The original “Crocodile Dundee” remains the biggest Australian hit of all time. It took audiences by storm when it came out in 1986.

Co-written by and starring Australian funnyman Paul Hogan, “Dundee” followed the story of Mick Dundee (Hogan), a man used to the Australian outback, as he fell in love with a New York City reporter (Linda Kozlowski) and followed her back to the States. The fish-out-of-water tale was originally going to be just a small release, but more theaters wound up carrying the picture by popular demand, and it ended up a smash hit.

Made for a few million bucks raised by Hogan, the movie grossed over $320 million worldwide.

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People still quote the film to this day (“That’s not a knife. That’s a knife”) — and it turned Paul Hogan, now 78, into a superstar. The flick was followed by two sequels, the last of which landed in 2001.

Everyone assumed the franchise was lost to time until a surprise video dropped recently that teased a new chapter in the series.

The teaser trailer sported comedic actor Danny McBride as the son of the original Dundee as he quoted classic lines from the original film — and sported a vest that may have made the original Dundee blush had he seen it.

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Along with the short video came quotes from Hogan about reviving the franchise and character. Soon, an official website launched, and the film was given a release date of June 1. It also received an official plot and title.

“Dundee: The Son of a Legend Returns Home” follows Brian Dundee (McBride) as he’s called upon to head to the Australian outback to find his legendary father, Mick Dundee (Hogan).

However, curious minds began poking around because no one had heard of this picture while it was being made, which is strange for such a high-profile project.

Soon, word came that the project was likely a Super Bowl ad promoting tourism in Australia. The Brisbane Times reported that the teasers contained the Screen Australia logo, yet it was not listed as one of its upcoming film projects. The director (Steve Rogers) is also known for his work in commercials.

McBride and company remain silent. They’ve simply continued to tease their mysterious project through further videos.

New trailers have revealed that Australian stars such as Chris Hemsworth (who is a “tourism ambassador” for Australia), Hugh Jackman, Margot Robbie, and Russell Crowe are also in the cast.

It would be strange to tease the project as a film if it weren’t one — and thus far there’s been quite a bit of footage released for the new “Dundee.” It’s likely the movie could be a short film to be teased through ads during the big game, along with a link to an Australian tourism website.

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Or maybe this really is a “Dundee” sequel that the producers have somehow managed to keep under the radar during a time almost nothing can be kept hidden.

Whether or not “Dundee” is a full-fledged movie remains to be seen — but it appears we’ll be getting more “Crocodile Dundee” in one form or another.

PopZette editor Zachary Leeman can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter.