One of the most beloved trucking movies of all time is about to get new life with a small screen adaptation.
Forty-three years after the Burt Reynolds classic debuted, the Hollywood Reporter announced that studio UCP has a “Smokey & The Bandit” television series in the works.
“Pineapple Express” director David Gordon Green was tapped to write the series and “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane will produce the series along with Erica Huggins.
Green said, “Growing up in the south, ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ was an iconic franchise for me. The legacy of these characters is a playground of swagger and sass that I’m excited to dig into.”
Huggins said, “When UCP mentioned Smokey and the Bandit we were immediately drawn to it. We knew we had to remain faithful to its original setting in the South, and find an authentic voice. David’s immediate interest and his unique perspective and love for the original made it possible. Smokey and the Bandit was a very cool and irreverent film at the time and we hope to achieve that same feeling in the show.”
There’s no word yet on the casting, and it isn’t clear who could fill the shoes of the film lead Burt Reynolds, who passed away about two years ago.
“Smokey & The Bandit” was the second-highest grossing film of 1977, after “Star Wars.”