Not that anyone was really asking for this, but it looks like we’re getting a television adaptation of the RED film series. You know, the one starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich, among others. NBC is apparently looking to bring the property to the small screen with franchise producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian and writers Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber all on board to help Lionsgate TV get the project off the ground.
For those who don’t know, the films followed a group of retired CIA operatives who found themselves thrown back into the thick of things when an assassin starts hunting them down. While both the original and its sequel provided a healthy dose of over the top action and decent laughs, the TV series will take a more grounded approach and is said to focus on “retired CIA operatives who have darkly hilarious struggles living a normal civilian life outside of the agency.”
Unfortunately, the original cast will not be returning, as the show will be acting as a reboot of sorts. No actors have signed on just yet, but now that the ball is rolling, you can expect to hear some announcements soon.
While RED, and even RED 2, offered up mostly harmless entertainment, I really don’t see the point of turning it into a TV series. As I mentioned before, no one was really asking for more from the franchise, and the fact that it’s on NBC doesn’t really give us much hope.
We’ll definitely keep an eye on this one to see how it develops, but as of now, don’t expect too much from RED‘s arrival on the small screen.