‘The Pink Panther’ Is Dead

If you were one of the few people who actually went to the cinema to see The Pink Panther 2, and then left singing its praises rather than moaning that you’d had to pay to see that pile of crap, then you’ll be sorry to hear the news that The Pink Panther is officially dead.

Peter Sellers played Inspector Clouseau many years ago and did so with a panache and style that made him a household name in the U.S. Then Steve Martin rather unwisely took on the role for a re-imagining of the franchise for a new generation. Things went with the first film, and it took $82 million at the box office when it was released in 2006. The sequel though didn’t do quite as well.

The Pink Panther 2, released at the beginning of this year, absolutely bombed by comparison. It only managed $35 million at the box office and was panned by the critics. That failure has effectively killed off any chance of more sequels, as director/producer Shawn Levy explained to MTV Movies.

“I think we’ve likely seen the end of this iteration of the ‘Pink Panther’ films. Obviously, the sequel did not strike the chord that the first movie did.”

“There are theories as to why this one wasn’t a hit. Sometimes, that’s just how the cards fall.”

“Steve Martin’s Clouseau – the joy of watching him play that guy – was the reason I did the first movie, the reason I Executive Produced the second movie. Whether we make more ‘Pink Panther’ films or not, for me it was one of the truly memorable Steve Martin performances.”

“I guess audiences just weren’t feeling it this time around to quite the same extent.”

I personally wasn’t a fan of either movie and so am pretty pleased to see the series come to an end before anyone embarrasses themselves further. Levy has the release of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian to look forward to, him being the director and all, while Steve Martin’s career is still going strong. So it’s just the panther who copped it in the end.