It’s not just theatrical movies (like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Trek Beyond, or Jumanji) that are currently trading on nostalgia. Small screen projects are also following suit. Nickelodeon is planning perhaps the most significant of these, with a TV movie based on the popular 1990s game show, Legends Of The Hidden Temple – which now has a premiere date.
Originally created by David G. Stanley, Scott A. Stone and Stephen Brown in 1993, Legends Of The Hidden Temple ran for 120 episodes – each featuring six teams of two 11-14 year olds. The teams competed to find and collect artefacts in a temple filled with treasures, guarded by Mayan protectors. To succeed, the competitors would have to answer questions and undertake physical tasks. The show was hosted by Kirk Fogg, and featured narration from Dee Bradley Baker in the guise of a talking stone head named Olmec.
The upcoming TV movie version is directed by Joe Menendez, with a script by Jonny Umansky, Zach Hyatt, and Alex J. Reid, and is based around the format of the original show.
“The Legends of the Hidden Temple TV movie follows three siblings, Sadie (Isabela Moner), Noah (Colin Critchley), and Dudley (Jet Jurgensmeyer), who break away from a lackluster tour in a jungle, finding themselves immersed in a high-stakes adventure comprised of obstacles that they must complete in order to escape alive. The TV movie will feature elements from the original game show including: Olmec [voiced by Dee Bradley Baker once again], a talking stone head who greets anyone who dares to enter the temple; The Steps of Knowledge, the entrance to the temple and launching pad for the mission; and cameos from a green monkey, red jaguar, and silver snakes, among others.”
With Kirk Fogg also confirmed as appearing as a fictionalized version of himself, Legends Of the Hidden Temple will premiere on Nickelodeon on November 26th, 2016, at 8pm.