It’s time to get back on the case, as it has been reported that a remake of the classic 1970s detective show Starsky & Hutch is in development at Fox. While details on the show are early, the remake will reportedly have a female-led cast.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project is currently being set up at Fox via its ‘script-to-series’ model, meaning that the network’s executives will get a first look at the show’s scripts before giving the project an official greenlight. The particulars of this process have not been fleshed out. However, Fox Entertainment president Michael Thorn told The Hollywood Reporter that he expects to have a pair of scripts from two prominent writers and showrunners: Sam Sklaver, the co-creator of Fox‘s crime drama Prodigal Son, and Elizabeth Peterson, who is currently writing the Fox drama Jenny Is a Weapon in addition to previously writing for HBO. Thorn said that he would review their scripts before making a final decision.
This modern take on Starksy & Hutch will reportedly focus on a pair of female detectives, Sasha Starsky and Nicole Hutchinson. According to a synopsis of the show, the two will “solve crimes in the offbeat town of Desert City while staying true to their friendship, their awesomeness, and somehow also trying to unravel the mystery behind who sent their fathers to prison 15 years ago for a crime they didn’t commit.” No potential casting for Starsky or Hutchinson has been announced.
Fox Entertainment is producing the series along with Sony Pictures Television, the latter having produced the original series as Columbia Pictures TV. Premiering in 1975, the original Starsky & Hutch followed two police detectives on a series of adventures around the fictional town of Bay City, California. The show starred Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul as detectives David Starsky and Kenneth Hutchinson. However, perhaps the most memorable cast member was not a human at all, but rather the pair’s bright red Ford Gran Torino, in which they would roar down the streets of Bay City while solving crimes. Additional cast members included Antonio Fargas and Bernie Hamilton.
While the original show would only run for four seasons, it has become somewhat of a cult classic among fans of the detective genre. The show’s legacy even birthed a 2004 feature film adaptation from director Todd Phillips that starred Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in the title roles. The film would go onto make $170 million during a successful box office run. In addition to this film, Starsky & Hutch also inspired a 2003 video game based on the series. This new series will not be the first time that a television remake of the show has been attempted. It was reported in 2017 that director James Gunn was working to reboot the series for Sony, but the project never came to fruition.
This new adaptation is just one of a number of projects that Fox is currently developing. In addition to Starsky and Hutch and Jenny Is a Weapon, the network is also collaborating with Sony Pictures on a new medical drama called Doc.
No release timeline for Starsky & Hutch has been announced.
via Collider