Heat Vision And Jack is a beloved comedy pilot co-created by Dan Harmon and directed by Ben Stiller. Dan Harmon's career began with shows like Computerman and co-writing the script for Monster House, but it was Community that earned him a fanbase. This NBC comedy series starred Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs and Donald Glover (Solo: A Star Wars Story), and established Harmon's comic formula of rapid-fire gags, pop-culture references with a hefty dose of heart too.
While it balanced on the verge of cancellation a few times, Community eventually reached one-half of its oft-stated "six seasons and a movie" plan - though Harmon sat out season 4 after being fired by the network and personally hates that particular series. While it hasn't happened yet, there's still a chance the Community movie will go ahead someday. Harmon's probably most beloved for animated sci-fi comedy Rick And Morty, which he co-created with Justin Roiland. The show quickly grew from a word of mouth cult favorite to a beloved series, and it will finish airing its fourth season in 2020.
One of Dan Harmon's earliest TV projects is Heat Vision And Jack, which was a pilot for a FOX comedy series. The show revolved around an astronaut named Jack (Jack Black) who - after being exposed to too much radiation from the sun - becomes the smartest man in the world. This leads to him being chased by the evil head honchos of NASA, led by actor Ron Silver (Timecop), who plays himself. Jack's best friend is Heat Vision, his former roommate who was fused with his motorbike after an accident, voiced by Owen Wilson.
Heat Vision And Jack was written by Dan Harmon and co-writer Rob Schrab and is a loving parody of sci-fi adventure shows like Knight Rider or The Incredible Hulk. A key reason the pilot went ahead is because Ben Stiller loved the script and wanted to direct it. Stiller was riding high off the success of There's Something About Mary at the time, so FOX was eager to have him on board. He also introduces the pilot - where he jabs then-current blockbuster Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace - and cameos as a DJ.
While the humor of Heat Vision And Jack is quite dated now, it's still a goofy and highly entertaining half hour. The show zeroes in on the retro 1970s look, Ron Silver is a delight as an evil version of himself and Wilson was born to play a chilled out motorbike. Sadly, FOX didn't see how the pilot could sustain a weekly show and didn't press ahead with it. Heat Vision And Jack has since become a cult favorite after it was rediscovered online, but while there was talk of a movie version around 2007, it's doubtful that will happen now.