27 Years Ago, Ben Stiller & Jack Black Made a Sci-Fi Pilot That Might be the Best Thing Never Made

Created in 1999 for Fox, Heat Vision and Jack was a truly unusual comedy, bringing together a lot of talent in a way that felt innovative for its time. The show was directed by Ben Stiller and written by up-and-coming comedy writers Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab. It centers around Jack Austin (Owen Wilson), an ex-astronaut who gains incredible intelligence after an accident involving the sun – but loses it every sunset. He teams up with his roommate, Doug (also Owen Wilson), who’s been literally fused with a motorcycle thanks to a NASA experiment, becoming the talking vehicle known as Heat Vision. Together, they travel the country investigating strange, paranormal events, all while being chased by the real actor Ron Silver, who plays a secret assassin.








