A new reboot of a cult classic science fiction adventure series is coming to Netflix. Deadline reports that Land of the Lost, a 1970s kidvid favorite about a modern family stranded in a prehistoric wilderness, is getting a reboot courtesy of Netflix and Legendary Television. The short-lived series already inspired a reboot series in the 1990s, and a big-screen comedy adaptation starring longtime fan Will Ferrell.
The original series was the brainchild of Sid and Marty Krofft, a pair of Canadian TV auteurs who made a huge splash in kids’ TV in the 1970s, with projects like Lidsville, Far Out Space Nuts, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, and H.R. Pufnstuf. Their work was characterized by slapstick humor, surreal puppet creatures, and low-budget chroma-key special effects; their shows have earned the duo a cult following among Generation X. Marty died in 2023, but Sid Krofft and Marty’s daughter, Deanna Krofft Pope, who is VP Development and Production at their company, will produce the series. It is in the early stages, and is looking for a writer; no release date has yet been announced.
What is ‘Land of the Lost’ About?
Debuting in 1974 on NBC‘s Saturday morning lineup, Land of the Lost centered around Rick Marshall (Spencer Milligan) and his children Will (Wesley Eure) and Holly (Kathy Coleman), who were on a rafting trip when they were transported to a strange prehistoric world. Not only was it populated with dinosaurs, but with the peaceful primates known as the Pakuni (one of whom, Cha-Ka, befriended the Marshalls) and the hostile reptilian humanoid Sleestaks. The show only lasted three seasons, but it was fondly remembered by those who watched it; conceptualized by Star Trek veteran David Gerrold, it featured scripts by a number of noted science fiction writers, including Theodore Sturgeon, Larry Niven, and Ben Bova. In 1991, it was rebooted, with Timothy Bottoms (The Last Picture Show) as Tom Porter, who finds himself trapped in the Land of the Lost with his two children. In 2009, Ferrell starred with Danny McBride and Anna Friel in a big-screen comedy adaptation of the series, which was directed by Brad Silberling. The film was a flop with both audiences and critics, earning a 26% Rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes and making $68 million USD on a $100 million budget.
Land of the Lost won’t be the first classic campy sci-fi TV series Netflix has rebooted. Lost in Space, the 1960s series that centered around a family of castaways and a tagalong saboteur, was relaunched by the streamer in 2018 with Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless at the helm; it ran for three seasons between 2018 and 2021.
A reboot of Land of the Lost is in development at Netflix; no casting or release date has yet been announced.
via Collider