Paul Reubens built on the popularity of his Pee-wee character when he released his first feature film, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure directed by Tim Burton. The movie and was a huge hit at the box office and eventually Reubens signed with CBS to develop the seminal Saturday morning children’s program Pee-wee’s Playhouse, which ran from 1986 to 1990.
Unfortunately in 1991, Paul Reubens was arrested in Florida and charged with indecent exposure. The scandal soiled his squeaky clean image, and CBS immediately dropped reruns of Pee-wee’s Playhouse from its lineup.
The actor is slowly making a comeback as of late with an exclusive Broadway engagement of The Pee-Wee Herman Show in which he brought back his character that made him famous. Well this week HBO announced that they will shoot the production to air sometime in 2011.
Here’s what Nancy Geller, senior vice president of HBO Original Programming, said in a press release.
“Before his hit series and movies, HBO introduced Paul Reubens’ Pee-wee Herman to a national audience in the ‘Young Comedians’ series, followed by the groundbreaking 1981 special. It’s thrilling to have Paul back on the network, and it will be a blast to return to Pee-wee’s Playhouse”.
The show will run 90 minutes and will be based on both the original Pee Wee stage show, The Pee-wee Herman Show, and the classic Saturday morning TV show, Pee-wee’s Playhouse.