Back in 1999, John Francis Daley, Martin Starr and Samm Levine teamed up to become one of the greatest nerd trios in the history of the television medium when they starred together on the short-lived but beloved series Freaks & Geeks. Fifteen years later, it looks like the band is coming back together - but they're doing so in a rather unexpected way.
Recently speaking with Vulture, John Francis Daley has revealed that he is going to be reuniting on screen with Martin Starr and Samm Levine in the upcoming Vacation reboot - which Daley is co-helming as his feature directorial debut. Asked if he would be making a cameo in the upcoming comedy, the actor-cum-director revealed that he is not only appearing in the movie, but that he is also working on a way to feature his Freaks & Geeks co-stars as well. The casting hasn't been 100% confirmed yet, but he clearly wants it to happen, saying, "I just wanted a chance to get the three geeks back together, in the same project."
Daley wouldn't reveal the nature of what he calls his "two-line cameo" due to spoilers, but it's interesting that he would mention it in the same breath as the announcement of Starr and Levine possibly being a part of the movie. This has naturally caused my geek brain to start ticking: is it possible that the three actors will be playing adult versions of Sam Weir, Bill Haverchuck and Neal Schweiber, thus making Vacation and Freaks & Geeks exist within the same fictional universe? This would potentially be messy continuity-wise, given that Freaks & Geeks was set in the early 80s (meaning that the characters would be about 20 years older than the actors in the year 2014), but we can all turn a blind eye to that in the name of a fun crossover. I would definitely be interested to see what those three Dungeons & Dragons-loving dorks are currently doing with their lives.
While we will certainly be on the look out for Daley, Starr and Levine in the upcoming movie, the real focus of the new Vacation film is Ed Helms, who will be playing an adult version of Rusty Griswold who has grown up and is taking his own family on a road trip. Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo will be reprising their roles as Clark and Ellen Girswold in the movie, which the rest of the impressive cast includes Leslie Mann (as the new Audrey Griswold), Christina Applegate (as Rusty's wife), Charlie Day, Chris Hemsworth, Keegan-Michael Key, and Regina Hall. Daley scripted with his longtime writing partner Jonathan M. Goldstein, who is also co-directing. The movie is still in production and will be coming to a theater near you on October 9, 2015.
