Since Friday Night Lights went off the air in 2011, fans have been eagerly awaiting any potential news on either a continuation of a previous story or the possibility of different stories set in the world of Texas high school football. Now, Collider has an exclusive update on the future of FNL, courtesy of producer Brian Grazer. In a long-spanning interview with our own Steve Weintraub, Grazer dropped a few tidbits about the current trajectory of the Friday Night Lights feature film, including its setting.
According to Grazer, the upcoming movie will take place in a different Texas town from the fictional Dillon in the TV series (the movie starring Billy Bob Thornton took place in Odessa). In Grazer‘s words:
“We’re working on another Friday Night Lights movie in Del Rio, Texas on a border town that takes place in 2015 and hope to be making that the beginning of next year.”
However, plans for more Friday Night Lights won’t be limited to just a movie; Grazer revealed that the planned film will be the jumping-off point for a new TV show, saying, that the events of the movie “will lead us into a new series that takes place in a more recent time…like now, today, and we’re excited about it.”
When plans for the FNL movie were first announced back in 2018, Halloween Kills director David Gordon Green had been attached to the project, but a new duo of filmmakers has taken over directing responsibilities as of 2019. Not only will they helm the movie, but they’ll also serve as showrunners on the upcoming TV show. Per Grazer, “They’re two brothers called the Dowdles and so they are the writers and to be the showrunners.”
John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle are most often known for collaborating together in Hollywood; Drew has served as producer and co-screenwriter on several of John Erick’s past feature directorial efforts, including Quarantine, M. Night Shyamalan‘s Devil, and No Escape, starring Owen Wilson and Pierce Brosnan.
It looks like the stadium lights will go up on a different high school football team under the direction of the Dowdles. We are also hearing that, for the most part, the movie is a completely new story with new actors using the Friday Night Lights format. The new film should be connected to the planned TV series, with the connection being the head coach character, but nothing is set yet.
As more information about the future of Friday Night Lights is unveiled, including casting and plot details for both the movie and planned TV show, stay tuned to Collider.
via Collider