sp; IESBIESB just ran an interview with the 80's uber-TV producer Stephen K. Cannell, the man behind some of the decade's most famous shows like "The A-Team", "The Greatest American Hero", "21 Jump Street", "Hunter" and "Wiseguy". Cannell has now become an author and is out promoting his book "Vertical Coffin" but is more than happy to talk about his early work and more importantly about upcoming big screen reinventions of it:
<strong>"The A-Team"</strong>
"A feature film version of The A-team will be headed to theaters if Stephen's plan comes together. However, in order to modernize the plot, instead of four Vietnam vets on the run for a crime they did not commit the characters will be comprised of four Desert Storm vets. It's genre will also shift towards a more serious action-oriented Die Hard style film. Cannell promises the characters to be much better at aiming than their predecessors, yes people will die with this A-Team. No mention of casting decisions as of yet but I had to ask who could possibly portray B.A. Barracus. He mentioned Ving Raimes as a possibility among others" "21 Jump Street" "This story outline has also been completed. A new batch of characters will be introduced but unlike Battlestar Galactica, the old characters will make appearances as well. Officer Tom Hanson, originally played by Johnny Depp, has now become a captain. Stephen hopes that Johnny Depp will reprise the role. Also, Holly Robinson's character, Judy Hoffs, has become a teacher"
<strong>"The Greatest American Hero"</strong>
"Disney is moving forward with this project to create a feature film. Cannell has completed the story outline and writers have been hired to finish the first draft within the next few months. He stated he already has an actor in mind for the lead role of Ralph, but declined to say exactly who. Also, unlike the route Starsky and Hutch has taken, American Hero will not be a spoof or parody. Instead, it will follow along the same comedic lines as the original show and stay true to it's genre. Disney is aiming for a PG rating"
For the full interview with more details, <a href="http://www.iesb.net/movies/movie13104.htm" target="_blank">click here</a>.
Thanks to 'Robert'.
