The connection between “Gilligan’s Island” and Hawaii runs deep and always has. The original television series started all that when its pilot and the first episode were filmed on Kauai at Moloa’a Beach. Other filming locations included several on Oahu: the Ala Wai Boat Harbor in Waikiki and the Coconut Island backdrop in Kāneʻohe Bay.
With this rich imagery of Hawaii began a lasting bond between the show, Hawaii, and its visitors. An animated movie revival surfaced a few years ago. Fans, including us, were thrilled by the news of a then-upcoming animated “Gilligan’s Island” movie remake that was to have featured the voice of Seth Rogen. The project would blend modern humor with the show’s classic charm. However, despite the public’s excitement, the project appeared to stall out for reasons unknown and was ultimately shelved. Warner Bros. has never provided any updates, leaving all Gilligan Island fans in the dark.
Another version of Gilligan’s Island was also rumored.
Interestingly, yet another, albeit strangely darker, version of “Gilligan’s Island” entered development at one point. That iteration, featuring a macabre tone, was also abandoned, much like the lighter animated project. The reasons that it was also shelved remain unclear, but it was rumored to be due to creative differences and production challenges.
James Gunn, the director of the film, The Suicide Squad, had proposed that second version of a Gilligan’s Island reboot. In that one, the shipwrecked characters, driven by desperation and hunger, turned to cannibalism. This radical interpretation may have almost actually come to fruition under a big studio. The idea was nixed, perhaps for the best, by the estate of the original Gilligan’s Island creator, Sherwood Schwartz.
Bob Denver’s Gilligan’s Island legacy.
Bob Denver, the beloved actor who played Gilligan, died nearly twenty years ago. Denver spent his later years in West Virginia with his wife. Together, they ran a small radio station and founded The Denver Foundation to support families of children with autism.
His wife Dreama authored Bob Denver’s memoir, entitled “Gilligan’s Dreams: The Other Side of the Island.” The heartfelt book offers a revealing glimpse into the private lives of Bob and Dreama, far removed from the iconic shores of “Gilligan’s Island.” Written as a tribute to Bob, the book offers their inspirational journey.
“For almost 30 years, I was married to the man the rest of the world knew as Gilligan. Almost five decades of reruns have made his television character iconic, but the Bob Denver I knew and loved was legendary to me for his courage, his commitment to his severely autistic son, and his love for the wife of his dreams, maybe the reason he called me Dreams.” –Dreama Denver.
The strong connection between Gilligan’s Island and Hawaii continues to be a point of interest for fans. To this day, it remains a focus for the show’s travel enthusiasts, who still seek out the Hawaii filming sites of this iconic series.
How do you remember Gilligan’s Island?
I thought it was a fun, kooky show with all of the characters from such different facets of life. Yet they all worked as a team to take care of each other and any maladies that ultimately always presented themselves to the castaways. Good clean entertaining show in memories.
Interesting factoid… there is an island in the Bahamas that was used in the original TV series intro. When we visited a few years back we got to see it… it looks nothing like what we saw on TV.
Because most of Gilligan’s Island was filmed on a soundstage