Sure, why not?. A new TV series based on hillbilly action comedySmokey and the Banditis being developed by the truly anonymous-sounding Universal Content Productions,per The Hollywood Reporter. This new version of the 1977Burt Reynolds-Sally Fieldroad movie, with a pilot written byDavid Gordon GreenandBrian Sides(Green will also direct), doesn’t have a home yet, but Peacock seems like a pretty good bet for this kind of splashy, high profile, IP-based show. Additional executive producers include Green’s Rough House confederatesJody Hill,Danny McBrideandBrandon JamesandSeth MacFarlaneandErica Hugginsof Fuzzy Door.
According to THR, “The new take is inspired by the genre of ’70s and ’80s drive-in double features, the potential series explores the crossroads where humble realities meet those larger-than-life, all in a blast of tailpipe exhaust.” Sure! The original film, a surprise lowbrow hit that wound up being the second biggest earner of 1977 (after some movie calledStar Wars), spawned two sequels –Smokey and the Bandit IIin 1980 andSmokey and the Bandit Part 3in 1983 (that’s how rebellious they were, they didn’t even follow standardized naming conventions!) The movies also popularized the Pontian Trans Am and gavePaul Williamssomething to do in-between writing hit songs, appearing on talk shows, and snorting cocaine (he is now very sober). They also inspired four (!) television movies (Bandit Goes Country,Bandit Bandit,Beauty and the BanditandBandit’s Silver Angel) that featuredBrian Bloomplaying a younger version of theBurt Reynoldscharacter.
“Growing up in the south,Smokey and the Banditwas an iconic franchise for me. The legacy of these characters is a playground of swagger and sass that I’m excited to dig into,” Green said in a statement. And if somebody can make the property relevant and stay away from (or potentially engage with/subvert) some of the messier elements of its iconography and setting, it’s Green, who is currently working with Universal on a pair of follow-ups to his well-receivedHalloweenreboot,Halloween KillsandHalloween Ends.
It makes sense that Green and the Rough House team would tackleSmokey and the Bandit; aJerry Reedsong from the soundtrack inspired the title of another of their projects, the gleeful obscene HBO comedy seriesEastbound and Down.
Smokey and the Banditis one of a number of projects MacFarlane has set up with UCP, after signing a lucrative deal earlier this year and joins the ranks of other Universal television properties based on their stable of popular legacy titles likeChucky(coming to Syfy next year) andBattlestar Galactica(coming to Peacock).
