"I'm excited to be out of gay porn and back into my pidgeon-hole. It will be nice to get attention from women again."
Burbank, CA -- In a surprising move, Warren Littlefield, president of NBC Entertainment, announced that a "Saved By The Bell" spin-off featuring Mario Lopez will headline the network's Fall lineup.
"The network felt that with the popular response to the idea of "Friends" spin-off "Joey" it would also be wise to bring back another trusted and familiar friend, but the question was who?" Littlefield explained, "...after much deliberation, we decided Mario Lopez as A.C. Slater was the choice already on everyone's mind."
The show, tentatively titled 10 Years Slater, sees A.C. come full circle as he returns to Bayside to coach the wrestling team after his dreams of being a pro were
shattered by a tragic moped accident. So far there is no word on if Screech, who had already reprised his role as a returning assistant principal in the second generation of Saved by the Bell, would be available.
"I am excited to give it another go as A.C." Lopez said. "I believe that this will be my most fulfilling role since I played the non-compromising bicycle cop Bobby Cruz on Pacific Blue. I just hope Dustin Diamond can be part of it. I know he's really busy these days with Celebrity Boxing and probably other stuff too, but I'm just not sure I could carry the show without him.
Lopez said he also likes the transformation A.C. has undergone since we have last seen him. "This is a much more mature, embattled, bitter and swarthier A.C. His dreams have been violently crushed by a speeding moped. No longer must he worry about touting the biggest muscles in school, but tackling more relevant and challenging problems, like dispelling student rumors that he's gay."
Littlefield did not rule out the possibility of bringing back some of Bayside's memorable faculty members to play alongside Lopez.
"We've already contacted Dennis Haskins who played Mr. Belding and we have also been trying to get in touch with the guy who played Mr. Tuttle."
The announcement of this spin-off is not without controversy. Sources close to the network say that Slater was not the first SBTB character to be considered for the show, rather it was leather jacket wearing no nonsense tough girl Tori, who appeared briefly in 1992 but was a no show at the graduation ceremony. Both the network and Leanna Creel, who played Tori, denied the rumor. "I haven't had a job offer in 10 years," Creel said, still wearing the leather jacket.
The timeslot has not yet been established for 10 Year Slater, but tune in to the TV Guide Channel and don't change it until this fall when Mario Lopez reprises the role that made him famous. Stay tuned.
