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Fox Steps Up To Adapt LETHAL WEAPON For Television
The era of reboots and remakes continues on screens big and small as there are plenty to talk about that are forthcoming or otherwise developing. This week now, we may add the long popular Lethal Weapon franchise in the mix with Fox committing to a pilot according to a new report at THR.
This is actually strange considering I last expected it would go to the big screen. Actor Chris Hemsworth’s name circulated once last year for a brewing film reboot under the working title, Lionhunters, with news of a reboot dating back as far as 2008 at the behest of franchise producer Joel Silver. Shane Black was tasked to provide script treatment by Shane Black followed by a retouching with Gangster Squad screenwriter Will Beall in 2011 for Fast And Furious franchise helmer Justin Lin to direct.
Richard Donner helmed all four films between 1987 and 1998 in which actors Mel Gibson and Danny Glover played two dissenting cops from different precincts who ultimately forge a budding partnership and friendship through bullets, blood, bare-fisted knuckle brawls, high-speed car chases and assortment of explosive cop heroics. The franchise drew in well over $800 million dollars at the box office.
I’m not too sure yet about how to feel about this particular move for a franchise. I’m not too keen on shows since I love a good feature film that keeps my attention. And as for it being a small screen remake, I can imagine it’ll be hard to keep the same tone of the films for what local televsion broadcasting demands. Let’s see where this goes.
Martial Arts Drama Series, WARRIOR, Rebooted At Fox
With one of the biggest and more prominent ingredients in television being the application of martial arts fight sequences, it’s without argument that the upcoming television series, Warrior, would have been a hit for NBC if they snagged it for series. Unfortunately they missed their chance several months ago and the show was without a network, leaving the show’s producers at Universal TV with the hopes of finding a new home for the series, and now they have.
Deadline reports Fox is now picking it up and starting from scratch with an entirely new script which focuses on a broken heroine’s vigilant fight for justice with the help of a mystical martial arts master. Actress Natalie Martinez was last cast to lead the show with Will Yun Lee and Holt McCallany among others upon filming the pilot earlier this year, so further updates are pending on what changes and doesn’t for the cast. Fox, however has brought the same team back on board to fully realize the show’s potential, including Traveler creator Phillip Noyce directing, executive producer David DiGilio and scribes Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald.
Expect things to happen for Warrior in 2016 as we close the year out!
Fox Series '24' Gets A 2016 Spin-Off
Plans have been up in the air for a while now with regard to the future of Fox’s long-running series, 24, particularly with the notion that principle actor Kiefer Sutherland might not be returning to the scene as counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer. That said, this week brings news that the studio is well underway with plans to revive the show in the same limited series fashion as last year’s 24: Live Another Day, as confirmed by TVLine over the weekend.
The new show will feature a new twentysomething male lead alongside another older female agent, as well as keep the “real-time” element so familiarly known to fans of the current series. Manny Coto and Evan Katz will return to serve as writers and executive producers on the new series that may or may not see Sutherland and actress Yvonne Strahovski return as possible guest stars.
I suppose the question now is who is just as badass enough to replace Sutherland… you guys have the floor!
A Feature Film For Saman Kesh's 2013 Short, CONTROLLER, Is In The Works At Fox!
This is kickass.
Remember independent filmmaker Saman Kesh‘s 2013 shortfilm, Controller? Well, it’s heading to the big screen with word from Deadline that Fox has picked up the rights to Kesh‘s sci-fi action love story set in near-dystopian New Taipei which sees a telekinetic woman held captive as she orchestrates her own rescue through controlling her boyfriend and turning him into an invincible killer.
The shortfilm is much more cerebral than it sounds, preceded by the three-minute short, I_U; You’ll know what I mean if you’ve already seen it as it’s since been an online hit through several media outlets, and if not, CLICK HERE to take a look at it for yourself. It’s a story brimming with awesome visuals and stunning action and brutality layered with darkly-lit romance, and it absolutely works. And it serves Fox right for noticing, as is the affect that proof-of-concepts appear to be having nowadays.
Alev Aydin is providing the script for Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps Entertainment produce.