'The Very Excellent Mr Dundee': Which 'Euphoria' star plays Paul Hogan's son in nostalgic meta-film?
It's a long way from Austraila, and Paul Hogan, despite living in a fancy LA mansion, still yearns for home and his loved ones there. In the latest 'The Very Excellent Mr Dundee', Hoges paints us a picture of what it means to have a character you played become more beloved than you are. 34 years ago he co-wrote and acted in the film that would have him a household name -- but alas, now it is no longer the 80s and he is 80.
As he 'face times' his granddaughter Lucy, who is struggling to make friends in her new school in Australia, we see another face around his LA house. In the film, Paul Hogan has a son, Chase, who seems to do weird but extremely accomplished things around the house. At one point, Hogan wonders if Chase is running a night club in one of the mansion's many rooms. The next day Hogan spots him coaching a group of pretty young things (and the gardener) in the finer arts of aerobic exercises.
As Hogan watches his latest humiliation on television, he spots Chase singing and strumming the guitar like a pro by the pool with a group of adoring fans by his side. Later, when Chase comes in to comfort him about his infamy, he also informs Hogan that he is going to be teaching Spanish next. Talk about being accomplished! Hogan is suitably impressed.
But guess who plays Paul Hogan's son in this 2020's meta-movie about the Dundee character? None other than 'Euphoria' star, Aussie actor, Jacob Elordi. To have such a known name play Hogan's son, where he only appears in brief sequences, points to one overwhelming possibility. Elordi could be gearing up to play the new "Crocodile Dundee", picking up the mantle and the signature hat.
In the film, we have the absurd premise of studio execs approaching Paul Hogan for a film revival of Crocodile Dundee, and propose casting actor Will Smith as "his son". When Hogan's looks flabbergasted by their casting choice, the execs ask anxiously, "Is he too old; too tall?". "He's Black," exclaims Hogan.
The scandalized reaction to denying an actor a role just because 'he is Black' drowns out Hogan's logic -- both he and Sue (played by real-life second wife Linda Kozlowski) are White -- so how can they have an African-American son? Obviously, the concept of adoption is not something Paul Hogan has heard about then. But political correctness aside, the film shows a willingness to dig through the current cultural landscape for touchstone issues.
So thanks to the nostalgia factor, there is a strong possibility of the franchise having another sequel with a new Mr Dundee. The throw-away plotline of Will Smith as Paul Hogan's son in what is essentially a satire film on Hollywood's cancel culture and casting decisions might be a hint about what path lies ahead for the future sequels of 'Crocodile Dundee' -- Jacob Elordi as Chase Dundee could become the new age 'Crocodile Dundee', who can bring back some Gen Z vitality to a now dated but beloved franchise.
'Crocodile Dundee' is available on-demand on December 11.