Universal Content Productions is reviving Burt Reynolds’ classic film Smokey and the Bandit as a television series. The new project is being developed by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane along with Danny McBride, David Gordon Green, and Brian Sides.
Released in 1977, Smokey and the Bandit launched a franchise consisting of two feature film sequels and a television series starring Brian Bloom as a young version of Reynolds’ Bo “Bandit” Darville. The original film followed Darville and fellow bootlegger Cledus “Snowman” Snow as they attempted to illegally transport 400 cases of beer from Texarkana to Atlanta. Along their journey, the duo welcomes a runaway bride they find hitchhiking on the road and evade Texas county sheriff Buford T. “Smokey” Justice. While Snow drives the truck carrying the beer, the Bandit drives his Pontiac Trans Am in order to distract law enforcement.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, UCP’s Smokey and the Bandit series will deliver a new take inspired by drive-in double-features of the ’70s and ’80s to explore “the crossroads where humble realities meet those larger-than-life, all in a blast of tailpipe exhaust.” Green will write the series alongside frequent collaborator Brian Sides and is also set to direct the pilot of the potential series. “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,” said Green in a statement. At this time, a network is not attached to the project.
Green is also attached to the Smokey and the Bandit series as an executive producer along with MacFarlane, who is developing the project as part of an overall deal between his Fuzzy Door Productions and UCP. Erica Huggins is also on board as an executive producer for Fuzzy Door, as are Danny McBride, Jody Hill, and Brandon James for Rough House Pictures. “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,” said Higgins in a statement. “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.”
The Smokey and the Bandit series is not the only title being revived from UPC’s library of works. New versions of Battlestar Galactica and Chucky are also being developed for Peacock and Syfy, respectively.
While Smokey and the Bandit may not be as well-known to younger generations, the original was a sleeper hit upon its release. Eventually earning $126,737,428 at the domestic box office, the Reynolds classic became the second highest-grossing film of 1977, placing behind only the original Star Wars.
Smokey and the Bandit is now available on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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