According to Variety, David Shore, the man behind House wants to re-make the classic Rockford Files for NBC.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118006650.html?categoryid=14&cs=1
So what do you all think? Remakes can be great (BSG) or rubbish (er, most of the rest). Shore and co seem to have a healthy respect for the original and it looks to be a similar take, not a spoof or send-up. And with various quirky cops on the tv - from The Mentalist, to Lie to Me, to Life (even if that is now, er, dead), why not a laconic laid back 'tec?
I think the original was a classic, from the great theme tune, to the likeable slightly roguish and cowardly nature of Rockford himself, to the great scripts. But above all, it was blessed with the inimitable, unique effortless charm of James Garner. That's hard to recreate - even Mel Gibson couldn't quite match it in Maverick. Who could do Jim Rockford - an ageing (by the standards of today's boyish cops) ex-con, bit of a loser (spent as much time chasing clients for money as chasing bad guys), got beaten up as much as he beat people up, yet still came across like a convincing tough guy? Nathan Fillion? Jeffrey Dean Morgan? Bradley Whitford? Matthew Perry? William Fichtner?
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118006650.html?categoryid=14&cs=1
Jim Rockford is looking for a comeback.
NBC, Universal Media Studios and Steve Carell's Carousel Television have tapped "House" creator-exec producer David Shore to shepherd a redo of the classic 1974-80 gumshoe drama that starred James Garner and put Stephen J. Cannell on the map as a writer-producer.
Garner's Emmy-winning portrayal of the ex-con private eye who lived in a trailer in Malibu (and usually worked as hard to get his clients to pay up as he did on solving cases) turned Jim Rockford into one of the most indelible characters of the smallscreen. Shore said as a fan of the show himself, he's well aware of how high the bar is set for the remake.
"It's one of the shows that made me want to become a writer," Shore said. "I had no interest in adapting any old stuff, but this was the one exception."
Shore's just starting to think about an approach to bring "The Rockford Files" into the present day, but he intends to stick with the basic foundation of a private eye in L.A. just trying to make a living.
"What makes 'Rockford' timeless is that he's vulnerable, he's flawed. He's used to hustling and getting hustled," Shore said. "Sometimes he's a hero and sometimes he runs away."
The idea for a "Rockford" revival came from Carousel, which inquired about the rights to the Universal TV property after Carousel cut a production pact with Universal Media Studios in January. Laura Lancaster, NBC/UMS' exec veep of drama, knew that Shore was a big "Rockford" buff, and the match was easily made.
"The minute I heard this I said, 'Let's get it on for midseason' ... but we're going to take our time and get it right," said Angela Bromstad, prexy of primetime entertainment for NBC Entertainment and UMS. "We know that David has the right sensibility as a writer to take on this kind of big character."
The original "Rockford" was co-created by Cannell and Roy Huggins, a prolific and influential TV scribe who created "Maverick," the offbeat Western that made Garner a star in the late '50s, and "The Fugitive," among other shows. "Rockford," which earned the Emmy for drama series in 1978, was a training ground for a number of future biz heavyweights, including scribes David Chase, Juanita Bartlett, Chas. Floyd Johnson and thesps Dennis Dugan and Tom Selleck. Show's strong supporting cast included Noah Beery Jr., Stuart Margolin, Joe Santos and Gretchen Corbett.
So what do you all think? Remakes can be great (BSG) or rubbish (er, most of the rest). Shore and co seem to have a healthy respect for the original and it looks to be a similar take, not a spoof or send-up. And with various quirky cops on the tv - from The Mentalist, to Lie to Me, to Life (even if that is now, er, dead), why not a laconic laid back 'tec?
I think the original was a classic, from the great theme tune, to the likeable slightly roguish and cowardly nature of Rockford himself, to the great scripts. But above all, it was blessed with the inimitable, unique effortless charm of James Garner. That's hard to recreate - even Mel Gibson couldn't quite match it in Maverick. Who could do Jim Rockford - an ageing (by the standards of today's boyish cops) ex-con, bit of a loser (spent as much time chasing clients for money as chasing bad guys), got beaten up as much as he beat people up, yet still came across like a convincing tough guy? Nathan Fillion? Jeffrey Dean Morgan? Bradley Whitford? Matthew Perry? William Fichtner?