With "Trail of the Pink Panther", they portrayed Insp. Clouseau disappearing, and this time, they have a clumsy American detective (Ted Wass) look for him. Personally, I wish that they could have ended the series with "Revenge of...". After that, they butchered Peter Sellers's scenes, then replaced him, then replaced him again (Roberto Benigni probably wishes to downplay his role in "Son of..."). So, "Curse of the Pink Panther" might work once, but not after that. Just stick with the original movies. You'll be a much better person for sticking with the original movies.
Did anything ever become of Ted Wass?