Hollywood falls for 'The Fall Guy': Lee Majors series is latest reboot candidate

EXCLUSIVE: Fans of 1980s action series (and Hollywood stuntmen), take heed. "The Fall Guy" is coming for you.

Hollywood uber-producer Walter Parkes and DreamWorks are working on a reboot of the 1980s action hit "The Fall Guy," say sources. It's early development, but look for a writer to come on board soon and devise a way to bring the action hero to the big screen.

"The Fall Guy," which was created by action maven Glen A. Larson and starred Lee Majors, aired from 1981 to 1986 on ABC. Fans of classic action shows — and those of us who grew up on '80s TV — will remember the conceit: Majors played Colt Seavers, a Hollywood stuntman by day and bounty hunter by night. He often incorporated his stunts into his bounty-hunting, flying vehicles (his trademark large pickup especially) over large objects, jumping from impossibly high angles and doing other things '80s heroes did to nab the people they were chasing. Heather Thomas co-starred and often got into trouble with him.

Action series from the 1980s have been coming in waves to the movie world: "The Dukes of Hazard" hit six years ago, "The A-Team" just hit, "The Equalizer" is being developed for Russell Crowe as a possible starring vehicle, and MacGyver (the real one, not the satire) is moving forward apace. The producers of "Hardcastle & McCormick" must be chomping at the bit.

— Steven Zeitchik

http://twitter.com/ZeitchikLAT

Photo: The Fall Guy. Credit: 20th Century Fox Home Video

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Comments

[J. Galt]

Great news!!! Steve Austin comes back!

[gerald]

JOHNNY DRAMA FOR THE FALL GUY!!!

[Mike]

Someone call Johnny Drama

[Drama]

Johnny Drama = The Fall Guy
VICTORY!!!!

[Vincent Brocoli]

I'm more excited for my next bathroom break.

[Dennis Shaper]

Steve Austin was the "Six Million Dollar Man", not the "Fall Guy". As for the Fall Guy as a movie, it all depends on the writers and casting.

[Bastich]

Yuck!! Making a movie out of a dilapidated Series is a recipe for failure! Doesn't tickle any of my excitement bones!

[Mark]

Serious question: is there not a SINGLE original idea in Hollywood anymore? Seriously: not ONE? WHERE ARE ALL THE WRITERS? Why have the major studios simply decided to make movies out of bad television shows for the last ten years (and presumably the next ten)? Every single one of these things barely even breaks even at the box office. No one in my generation wants this crap - these were shows that we watched because there was literally NOTHING ELSE ON TELEVISION - and we WEREN'T PAYING FOR IT.

If Hollywood is worried about its future, then START LISTENING TO WRITERS WITH ORIGINAL SCRIPTS AGAIN. Seriously, I'm looking forward to seeing "Inception" this summer, because it's an original story - and I think - literally - the ONLY ONE that came out this summer. "The A-Team"? SERIOUSLY? SERIOUSLY?

[Bo Darville]

This is a great idea for a movie! I can't wait! Huzzah! This could be like a country western James Bond thing with the cool stunts and all.

[bbock]

This will only be cool if the stunts in the movie are REAL and not the result of computers. These days, I'll bet stunt people are a bit grumpy because who can tell what was a real person risking life and limb and what is the result of computer animation. It makes me wonder how long it will be before all stunts are computer generated.

[Stash]

I really enjoyed watching the Fall Guy. So that's why when it came out on DVD I went out & got it. But now I've been waiting for season 2, & the rest of them. I think it's pretty sad to have people make these DVD's for you [while you're planning to get the whole series] & decide that because they didn't get rich enough from it, to cancel it. I really hate it when you can only get 1 season of something you love & you would of gotten. If only you could.

[Brahma]

bbock wrote:"This will only be cool if the stunts in the movie are REAL and not the result of computers."
Agreed. A huge number of the stunts in the recent movie "Knight and Day" were helped along by computer animation, and they didn't really work. A story about a stuntman simply has to have real, live-action stunts in order to be plausible.

[Brahma]

Steven Zeitchik wrote:"Action series from the 1980s have been coming in waves to the movie world...the producers of "Hardcastle & McCormick" must be chomping at the bit." What about bringing back "Simon and Simon"? They could cast Owen Wilson as A.J. and update the sports car he drove to a Tesla Roadster.

[Karl Dahlquist]

Johnny Drama! Perfect as Colt Seavers

[Big Dude]

Wait!!! I got a better one!!! My mother the car!! great action show with...Oh wait!! I Meant "Mr.ED"!!! who doesn't love horses!!!especially if they talk!! Better yet!!...Oh never mind, i'm sure they have all been greenlighted already...BTW, i can play a horse...

[Rosee]

Where's the "creative" community in Hollywood?

I was a fan of this show in the 80's like many....but to "update" this show with other actors and so many years later is a day late and a dollar short. And quite frankly...it just won't have the same umph as the original!

[Jeff]

Let's not leave out the other details. Doug Barr(who later had a recurring role as Charlene's hubby on "Designing Women"), was another of Colt's associates, and either JoAnn Pflug or Markie Post played the bail bond agent who kept Seavers and company on retainer. This one might be worth seeing...

[Robert Geroge]

The Fall Guy Season 2 is out on DVD in Europe. www.amazon.co.uk has it for sale. All you need is a multi-regional dvd player.