As one of the longest-running television shows of all-time, it’s actually a bit surprising that COPS, which began back in 1989, hasn’t been turned into a film yet. Widely recognized around the world, and continuing to pull in strong ratings consistently, it was only a matter of time before someone decided to adapt it to the big screen, and now, that time has come.
Deadline is reporting that a COPS movie has been greenlit, with the project set to be an “edgy narrative feature with a buddy comedy bent on the order of a Lethal Weapon.” Landing in the director’s chair here is Zombieland helmer Ruben Fleischer, who will be working off a script from Cameron Fray. There’s not expected to be much connection between this adaptation and the television series, aside from the brand name, but with the project still in the very early stages of development, it’s hard to say for sure how much they’ll tie into each other.
Frankly, as much as we respect COPS, there really is no reason to turn it into a film, given that it really doesn’t have a core group of characters or any real narrative to speak of. This adaptation seems like nothing more than a chance to cash in on the brand name while offering up yet another generic buddy cop comedy in the process.
Fleischer is a talented director, to be sure, but given the source material he’s working with here, we’re worried that he may not be able to turn out something that’s worth getting excited over. Time will ultimately tell, but for now, you can look forward to COPS cruising into a cinema near you at some point in 2017.