Readers of a certain age will remember ‘80s TV series Captain Power And The Soldiers Of The Future, a low-budget sci-fi in which a posse of futuristic troopers did battle with sentient machines, all while while trying not to knock over any of the shonky-looking sets. If so, you’ll be intrigued by Deadline’s scoop that this is the latest TV property to get the reboot treatment.
Captain Power’s new incarnation is called Phoenix Rising. It’s set 15 years after the original, 22-part series left off, with humanity defeated by the machines – in particular, an evil A.I. called Overmind – and planning a new revolt. The leader, Jonathan Power, is, in an extra Terminator-y twist, the son of the man who caused the original war.
The show, which has a new promo trailer in advance of Comic-Com, is the brainchild of original co-creator Gary Goddard, as well as Planet X’s Thomas Vitale and Craig Engler. "As fans of both science fiction and the Captain Power series, we’re excited to help reimagine this iconic TV show for today’s viewers,” runs Vitale and Engler’s statement. "Although the surprisingly dark themes, serialised storytelling and shocking character deaths featured within the series were well ahead of their time in 1987, they’re exactly the kind of story elements a modern viewing audience craves.”
Phoenix Rising is in active development, with more news to come at Comic-Con.