It’s been nearly two-and-a-half years since Pete Davidson and Colin Jost pooled their funds to purchase a decommissioned Staten Island ferry, and regardless of whether or not they were stoned when the sale went down, their big plans have yet to come to fruition. That seems to be a problem for those living in the vicinity of where the Titanic 2 is docked, as locals say the would-be event center would be better off in a scrap yard.
Saturday Night Live fans laughed when Colin Jost announced in 2021 that he and fellow comedian Pete Davidson had made the $280,000 purchase in a nod to their shared Staten Island roots. It’s been amusing to watch, too, as we continue to wonder how far in over their heads they are in thinking they could restore and keep up a watercraft of that size. It turns out the situation surrounding the ferry isn’t so funny to some who reside in the area. John Marchesi, a 49-year-old local, shared his thoughts with the New York Post while walking his dog, saying:
I walk past that ferry almost every day, and have not once seen anybody work on it since Davidson bought the thing. I think he and his buddy bought it on a whim and realized it would cost a fortune to fix it up. So it’s just sitting there waiting to spring a leak. Look at it. It belongs on the scrap yard.
Whether or not money is an issue — Colin Jost did joke about being mad that Marvel isn’t releasing a movie this summer — there’s no question that the ferry project is a pricey venture. In March it was learned that plans are in motion with a budget of $34 million to convert the docked watercraft into the live entertainment space Jost and Pete Davidson envisioned for comedy, music and other events.
Renowned New York architect Ron Castellano is attached to the project, with renderings reportedly including hotel rooms, two restaurants, two clubs, six bars and its top deck being transformed into a furnished patio. It’s not going to happen fast though, and while Pete Davidson said last year that the finished product was still “five years away,” Castellano doubled that in a more recent update, saying it might be 10 years before renovations are complete on the floating venue.
For the locals who already don’t like seeing the Titanic 2 on a daily basis, it doesn’t sound like their problem is going away anytime soon. Linda Adria, a 55-year-old resident, has a different suggestion for what to do with the ferry:
It’s kind of an eyesore. Maybe they should retire it for good, if you know what I mean.
We may not be able to see the fruits of Pete Davidson and Colin Jost’s labor just yet, and they no longer share a stage (or Weekend Update desk) on SNL with Davidson exiting in 2022 after eight years, but fans can relive any of their time together on streaming, as the entire Saturday Night Live collection is available to watch with a Peacock subscription.