ASmokey and the Bandit TV showis happening at Universal Content Productions (UCP). David Gordon Green’s Rough House Pictures is teaming with Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door to bring the 1977 big screen classic to the small screen. Burt Reynolds and Sally Field starred in the original movie, which was the second-highest grossing movie of the year, right behindStar Wars. Since then, the movie has been a permanent fixture in pop culture.
TheSmokey and the Banditseries is described as “an epic adventure of family, small-town crime, unlikely heroes, legend and legacy. Inspired by the genre of 70s and 80s drive-in double-features, the series explores the crossroads where humble realities meet those larger-than-life, all in a blast of tailpipe exhaust.” David Gordon Green is set to direct the pilot and co-write with Brian Sides.Seth MacFarlaneand Erica Huggins from Fuzzy Door will executive produce, alongside Green, Danny McBride, Jody Hill and Brandon James of Rough House Pictures.
David Gordon Greenis very excited to partner with UCP to bring theSmokey and the Banditseries to life. “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,” he said in a statement. Erica Huggins also released a statement, which you can read below.
“When UCP mentionedSmokey and the Banditwe were immediately drawn to it. We knew we had to remain faithful to its original setting in the South, and find an authentic voice. David’s immediate interest and his unique perspective and love for the original made it possible.Smokey and the Banditwas a very cool and irreverent film at the time and we hope to achieve that same feeling in the show.”
Smokey and the Banditisn’t the only project from the vault getting the greenlight from UCP.Battlestar Galacticafor Peacock andChucky for Syfyare all in the works and there will likely be more in the near future. As for who will star in the upcomingSmokey and the Banditseries, that is unclear at the moment, though a lot of people will more than likely want to get in on the project.
David Gordon Green has been all over the place with his Rough House Pictures crew. They brought theHalloweenfranchise back to life in 2018 and they have two more sequels ready to roll. They are also behindThe Righteous Gemstones,Eastbound and Down,Vice Principals, the upcoming Mel Gibson Santa Claus movieFatman, and a ton of others.Smokey and the Banditwill be an anticipated series, so it will be interesting to see how it all works out and who gets to take over for the iconic Burt Reynolds.The Rough House Pictures Twitteraccount was the first to announce the news.
