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Subscribe to RSSA nationwide star search is under way to fill the paws of a movie legend. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports.
By Marcus Harun
NBC News
A Hollywood movie producer is searching for a dog that can charm millions on the big screen as star of the next Benji movie.
The character Benji has appeared in many movies and television specials from 1974 to 2004. Producer Brandon Camp, whose father Joe Camp found the original Benji more than 40 years ago, is now looking for the next superstar mutt for a sequel.
Brandon Camp has set up a Facebook page where people across the country can post photos and videos of their dog. He will be scanning through all the photos and visiting shelters around Los Angeles to find the perfect match.
"I won't take no for an answer,” Camp told NBC News. “I know this dog is out there, we will find this dog."
Benji has been played by four dogs over the years and Camp is looking for a mutt who matches the previous dog in looks and in attitude. A playful dog that can be serious, goofy and mischievous is what Camp is looking for, but he said it’s not that simple.
“There are certain qualities that you look for in any movie star, whether it's a human or a dog,” Camp said. “It’s that charisma it's that handsome quality, it's that sparkle in the eyes. So you can write all of that down and say these are the traits that I'm looking for, but at the end of the day it’s love at first sight.”
The human roles in the upcoming movie have not been cast as of yet because Camp said they need to find Benji first. The plot of the sequel is still a secret, but he said it is a love story between a man and his dog and it’s sure to bring laughs and surprises.
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off subject, i've got tall grass, well middling grass, sure wish i could do a dorothy in the 'wizard of oz' and close my eyes and tap my shoes and send it to kansas and the rest of the midwest and texas for the hungry cows instead of weed-whacking, raking it and throwing it away! we've got monsoons and they poured lovely rain down on us yesterday and it's been raining hard today:-) still thundering . . . . . best, anna martina p.s. the last movie i watched was 'avatar' because a friend wanted to go and before that, i think it was 'crouching tiger, hidden dragon' . . . . .
read about stephen spielberg's movie 'war horse', i may have to get that one. what would europe do with all of those horses if they came back?! and the 5,000+ horses in egypt that the english horse foundation put down humanely after they bought them? reading stephen's comment about the english countryside in dartmoor did make me wish i had $ to visit, i hope there's lots of footage in the movie. the loss of human and horse life in wwi was was phenomenal. if i had lived through it, i would have thought it was the end of the world . . . . . the book 'war horse' is written from the perspective of the horse. on a manic run from gilbert, az to california, i stopped on a back country road when i saw a horse come up to the fence as i approached, i had an apple on the passenger seat next to me . . . . .
I think we have a dog that would be perfect for the next Benji!. We recently adopted a beautiful mutt from the Washington DC Humane Society( My daughter was a volunteer there). I couldn't say no when I saw him. He was found in Washington DC in a vacant office building. He must have been abandoned too early because he suckles a blanket a lot. He's so smart and easy to train( still very young). Everyone that meets him falls in love and so does he! We've had so many comments that "he looks like a movie star"- A classic. You should check it out.
Kim D
Would you like some pictures?
We adopted the most special Benji-lookalike 2 years ago. He was abandoned on the street- sick and not yet fixed. It was love at first sight. He's incredibly smart, lovable and can learn new tricks in just a few minutes (he'll do anything for food). His name is Bastian from Seattle, WA. Here's a direct link to his photo submission on Facebook!