Tom starred as Allen Bauer opposite Daryl Hannah as Madison in the 1984 movie, which is now getting a gender-reversal remake with Channing playing the merman and Jillian Bell taking on the land-loving female character.
Now Channing has revealed he is desperate for Tom to have some kind of cameo role in the reboot.
“I will be washing Tom’s car (and) doing everything that I can to get him in that movie!” Channing joked to Entertainment Tonight.
Despite his admission, Channing admits he and Jillian have so far been “too afraid” to approach Tom about starring in the film. That is partly because the pair knew their pitch for the remake was considered a joke by many, and they initially approached Disney with the idea as a “shot in the dark”.
They also threw a “hail Mary” to the original movie’s director, Ron Howard, to see what he thought about the concept.
“We were sure he was going to say no,” he said. “But Ron loved it and supported us going in to Disney. Disney somehow thought that it was not a horrible idea so we’re gonna give it a shot.”
When news broke of the reboot, Tom admitted he was keen to be involved – joking he was definitely up for a gay romance with Channing’s merman.
“I am all in favour of it,” he told Access Hollywood. “Look, I think if they were really going to be bold, I would come back as Allen Bauer, and I would go off with Channing Tatum. That would be a bold movie. And I am suggesting it right now.”
He added of the plot: “It’s a bit of an experiment, so we are just going to have to see how the screenplay comes together… but it will be a lot of fun.”
