Entourage Creator Doug Ellin reveals he would make a reboot of the HBO show if executive producer Mark Wahlberg returned. Entourage aired for eight seasons and chronicled the life and acting career of Vincent Chase, played by Adrian Grenier, who was loosely based on Wahlberg. While the comedy-drama show ended in 2011, an Entourage movie was released in 2015 to mixed reviews and relatively low box office success. Alongside Grenier, the show also starred Jeremy Piven, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, and Jerry Ferrara.
According to Wahlberg, the show came about after his assistant asked to film Wahlberg and his group of friends, finding their interactions amusing. While Wahlberg wasn't a fan of the idea, it led to the creation of a scripted series that was instead inspired by Wahlberg's journey as an A-list actor in Hollywood. Wahlberg pitched the show to HBO and they picked it up right away. Entourage proved immensely popular with audiences and critics – even former President Barack Obama is said to have loved the show. Rumors of a series reboot have been ongoing since the show's end in 2011, but sexual assault allegations leveled against Piven in 2017 and Connolly in 2020 have since cast doubt on whether a reboot will occur.
In a recent Comicbook article, it was confirmed that Doug Ellin, the creator of the show, is willing to reboot the series only if Mark Wahlberg returns as executive producer and pitches it to HBO. What's more, Ellin suggests that the rest of the major cast members are already on board including series star Adrian Grenier. Of the possibility of a reboot, Ellin said:
"Adrian Grenier said he's in, big news... I got all of them. So yeah I wouldn't do it without the five and Mark Wahlberg just needs to call HBO and make it happen and all will be good."
If Wahlberg is indeed the last piece of the puzzle as Ellin suggests, it seems likely that an Entourage reboot of some form will eventually come to fruition. Ellin went on to add: "So weird... that one show that the New York Times said is the best show on television in 2004; and that President Obama said was his favorite show. But that one they don't care about. Weird right?" Ellin's sarcasm likely stems from the large number of reboots that have recently been commissioned for concluded shows, particularly for HBO's new streaming service, HBO Max.
While an Entourage reboot does seem possible, there is a question of whether not the show would work in today's climate as evidenced by the film's poor performance in 2015. Entourage's sexual politics and attitudes towards women have aged poorly, with women frequently treated as disposable objects by the show's male protagonists. The show also features a producer character that is based on the real-life Harvey Weinstein, which, in light of the #MeToo movement and the rape and sexual assault crimes he has been found guilty of, has left a bitter taste in many fans' mouths. These factors, in addition to the sexual assault allegations that have been leveled against two of the show's stars, call into question whether Entourage should return at all. If Entourage does indeed get rebooted, it would likely need to undergo substantial changes in order to better reflect today's changing social and political climate.
Source: Comicbook