The Return of the Sleestak

Inside a soundstage the size of an airplane hangar in the San Fernando Valley, Marty Krofft gazes around the set of Land of the Lost, marveling at what an army of studio craftsmen can do with $5 million. Outside, it's 95 degrees in the smog. Inside, the air conditioning whirs like a jet high above, jungle vines twist around massive pillars standing sentry over a wide Incan staircase. Two dozen reptile-suited extras meander around Will Ferrell, dressed in khaki and waiting for the camera to roll. Crew members doze on fake rocks. A man comes over with slices of cantaloupe and watermelon.

The Krofft brothers, Sid, the dreamy creator, and Marty, the ornery businessman, bicker constantly. "There's a big attack," says Sid, pointing to the plaza in the middle of the stage. He has white hair and a faraway gaze, and his voice soars and dips like he's telling a story to children. "The Sleestaks are attacking the main characters."

"By the way, we're not giving the plot away today," Marty snaps at him.

"I wasn't talking about the movie," Sid protests, rolling his eyes.

Ferrell and his costars, Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies) and Danny McBride (The Foot Fist Way), speak their lines quietly into the camera and Marty, getting impatient, asks the publicist, "Can we tell him about the movie?" Then to no one in particular: "The girl has an eating disorder."

The Krofft brothers once had their own workshop where they made intricately detailed puppets, sets and costumes. Then came Land of the Lost and a slew of other psychedelic shows that kids worshiped. They were big-time television producers: Between the late '60s and the early '90s, they produced 20 series for NBC, CBS and ABC, opened their own theme park and packed stadiums with live shows for kids. But that was a long time ago--they haven't had a network show since 1994.

Now Universal is writing big checks to make a film version of Lost, a Saturday morning show that ran for only three years and featured an 10-year-old actor as a grunting ape-boy. "It's advertised at $100 million, but it'll probably be in at over 200," whispers Marty with a raised eyebrow.