This image was lost some time after publication.

It was only a matter of time before Cale Boyter, MGM's recently added executive VP of production, joined Mary Parent in aggressively reestablishing the studio as the roaring monolith the world has long prized. Indeed, Boyter's first announced project is a bold step away from Valkyrie and other debacles threatening the mantle of The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, 2001: A Space Odyssey and others. Or, in short, Hot Tub Time Machine:

Hot Tub follows a group of guys, adults who used to be cads back in their heyday, who, after a night of vodka and Red Bulls in a hot tub, travel back in time and set out to rediscover their "mojo."

"We're always looking for ways to stand out from the rest of the pack in today's crowded marketplace, and what better way than to combine hot tub debauchery and the complications of time travel," said [Boyter], who will oversee the project along with the company's Becky Sloviter.

Even as we admire Boyter's sense of humor, we weep for the millions of dollars that he and Sloviter — in her lone contribution to the film's "oversight" — will take turns lighting on fire and flushing down toilets at an MGM soundstage over the six-week shoot. Moreover, as much as we want to trust Boyter and the script by newcomer Josh Heald, no amount of vision can ever redeem "Red Bull" as a plot point. The marketplace isn't that crowded.