It’s been a few years since James Cameron was seen producing a TV show. The last time he dabbled with the goggle box was back in 2000, when he brought the world Dark Angel and launched Jessica Alba’s career. Now he’s back behind the scenes, developing a series take on** True Lies for 20th Century Fox Television.
The 1994 action comedy starred Aaahnuld Schwarzenegger as Harry Trasker, a super spy who fooled his family into thinking he was an everyday computer salesman. But when he discovers his bored wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) is embarking on an affair with a used car salesman (who, coincidentally, is trying to convince her he’s a spy), their worlds suddenly converge and Harry’s life becomes a lot more difficult.
There has been talk for years of a **True Lies **sequel, with occasional nods and winks from Cameron and a lot of speculation and hype from Arnie’s sidekick in the film, Tom Arnold. But nothing has ever emerged until now.
Cameron is sticking with people that he knows, hiring Dark Angel writer/executive producer Rene Echevarria (who went on to work on shows such as The 4400, Medium and Castle, and has been developing the Teen Wolf series for MTV) to oversee development of the new iteration.
And no casting has been announced yet, though we doubt Arnie will be up for a regular gig: he’ll need a long lie down in a darkened room once he’s finished being governor of California this year. Bet Tom Arnold starts pushing for a role, though.
However the series turns out, it’ll have to face existing in a TV world where the concept isn’t as unique as it once was. Hell, even True Lies itself was an adaptation of French adventure comedy La Totale! And these days, the story of a spy who has to keep their true identity a secret from friends and family has been exploited by the likes of Alias and the still-running Chuck.
But the prospect of more Harry Trasker action is a compelling one – let’s hope they can live up to Cameron’s explodey, horse-jumping vision on a TV budget…