Fremantle is reportedly developing a reboot of the iconic 1990s beach drama series “Baywatch” with early talks underway with a number of broadcasters and streamers.
The original series followed a group of lifeguards who patrolled the beaches of Los Angeles County. Originally crafted for NBC, it was cancelled after one season.
Then the Baywatch producers bought back the rights and produced a syndicated version with All American Television and Germany’s Beta Taurus.
The result became one of the most-watched shows in the world, particularly internationally, where it attracted audiences of over one billion, leading to the series running for ten more seasons and launching a “Baywatch Nights” spinoff.
As the series continued, it famously got more ambitious in its storytelling, with storylines including earthquakes, shark attacks and serial killers.
The show made global names out of its stars like David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson, along with serving as the launch pad for various careers such as Jason Momoa, Alexandra Paul, David Chokachi, Erika Eleniak, Yasmine Bleeth, Jeremy Jackson, Billy Warlock, David Charvet, Jason Simmons and Nicole Eggert.
There are currently no creatives attached to the reboot, which will likely be more in line with the original than the Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron-led 2017 satirical movie adaptation that flopped.
The original series was remastered into high-definition to sell to global broadcasters back in 2018, when Fremantle reportedly first began talking about the idea of a remake.
Source: Deadline
