Back in 1977, Smokey And The Bandit was something of a sensation. The second highest-grossing movie of the year (behind a little title called Star Wars), it launched an iconic character in Burt Reynolds' Bandit and spawned a franchise of freewheeling movies and TV movie spin-offs that followed his law-bending scrapes. Now writer/director David Gordon Green and Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane are hoping it'll be the basis for a new TV series.
Green is working on the script for the show and aims to direct the pilot, which according to The Hollywood Reporter 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. "Growing up in the South, Smokey And The Bandit was an iconic franchise for me. The legacy of these characters is a playground of swagger and sass that I'm excited to dig into,” says Green. MacFarlane, meanwhile, is aboard to produce via his Fuzzy Door company.
Of course, the big challenge (besides side-stepping potential PC issues) will be finding someone who can bring the sheer spark to the Bandit that Reynolds delivered back in the day. The show has yet to find a streaming/cable channel home, but there's every chance that, given it comes from Universal's TV arm, it could launch on their Peacock service across the pond.