Is another Beastie Boys film in the works?

Talk of an old, rumored Beastie Boys project has resurfaced in the media. At this point, we're not sure if the project has been mistakenly identified as new, if it's a late April Fool's joke, if it's a story distributed by a publicist to direct attention to Adam Yauch's new film, or if it's for real. Read on and decide for yourself.

In the mid 1990s, several respected entertainment publications reported that Beastie Boys were working on a film with Spike Jonze. It was supposedly a comedy scripted by both the band and Jonze, titled We Can Do This. (Country Mike fans will recognize the title.) Entertainment Weekly reported that a source close to the project described the film as "a lot like Woody Allen's 'Zelig' crossed with the parodic '70's cop-show spirit of 'Sabotage.'" Do you recognize how silly that description is?

As with many rumored Beastie Boys projects, the film never came to fruition and was forgotten about by both the media and Beastie Boys fan community. Recently, however, the film project has resurfaced as an announced/in development project. Both the New York Times and Hollywood.com have recently listed the films in their databases. Is this a mistake or has the dust really been blown off the project? In either case, it's interesting that this news has resurfaced so close to the premiere of Adam Yauch's film Gunnin' for That #1 Spot. (Jonze is currently working on a film version of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, due to be released in 2009.)

Several things are certain: Spike Jonze is a director and screenwriter, Beastie Boys are long-time friends with Jonze, Beastie Boys own their own film company, and Adam Yauch seems hell-bent on making movies.

Read more about We Can Do This, as it was talked about in the 1990s, at Beastiemania.com.