'Uncut Gems' Directors Are 'Considering' Making a Dark Pee-Wee Herman Movie: Report

Pee-wee Herman, the beloved children’s entertainer created by Paul Reubens, could be getting a dark and gritty reboot.

Reubens, who has portrayed Pee-wee Herman for decades, is trying to sell a screenplay that sees the character grapple with a pill and alcohol addiction that makes him a “monster,” according to a recent interview with the comedian in The Hollywood Reporter.

THR reports that the script would follow Pee-wee Herman after he gets out of prison and becomes a famous Hollywood star, before falling into “severe” addiction. According to the outlet, the first draft of the script was written in the late 1990s, after Reubens himself was arrested for indecent exposure in 1991.

“I’ve referred to it as the Valley of the Dolls Pee-wee movie,” Reubens, 67, told THR. “It’s about fame.”

According to THR, Reubens has been unable to find a buyer for the script — Netflix reportedly passed on it — but has been in contact with brothers Josh and Benny Safdie, the directors behind the Adam Sandler-starring Uncut Gems. The magazine reports that the brothers are “considering the project.”

Reubens also told THR that he wants to use de-aging technology to keep the childlike Pee-wee Herman looking the same way he did in the 1980s.

“I was so buoyed by that, I realized, I could do [Pee-wee] for 10 more years if I wanted to,” Reubens said. “I think I could do it for a while longer, and just fix my face.”

“I do feel like it’s going to probably happen,” Reubens added of his idea for the gritty reboot. “I have a couple of people that are interested. But this is Hollywood. A couple people interested and five bucks will get you five bucks.”

Pee-wee Herman last made an appearance in Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, which was released on Netflix in 2016.

“I get to do something I love, that I created and that I made all the rules up to,” Reubens told PEOPLE at the time. “It’s been fantastic. I couldn’t have asked for a better adventure.”

Last month, Reubens announced that he would be going on tour in celebration of the 35th anniversary of his breakout film, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. The actor will host screenings of the film and then speak to audiences, telling behind-the-scenes stories about the making of the 1985 film.