James Gunn Discusses His STARSKY AND HUTCH Series and Reveals it Will Be a Continuation of the Original Series

When I hear the words remake or reboot, I think “not as good as the original”. In 99% of the cases, this is true. There are anomalies like The Departed that are far superior to the original, but like I said, it is a rare case. Now, in the case of James Gunn, the thought of a reboot is rather interesting. 

Recently it was announced that Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) would be taking on the rebooting of the 1970’s buddy cop TV show Starsky and Hutch. The series will be on Amazon and Gunn himself will be directing the pilot. 

James Gunn went to Facebook to announce not only his involvement in the project but to get us as pumped as he is as well. This is what he had to say:

You may have just read the news that I’m doing a version of Starsky & Hutch over at Amazon, producing alongside Neal Moritz with Brian Gunn and Mark Gunn writing. Well…

When I was a kid, Starsky & Hutch was the first “adult” show I ever saw, and I fell in love. It instilled in me a lifelong love of gritty street shows, of killer 70’s threads, and muscle cars. So when Neal – the producer of the Fast and Furious franchise – asked me if I wanted to be a part of an all new Starsky and Hutch on TV, I was instantly intrigued.

So I considered it. For me, as so many of you know, I can’t become involved with something unless I really love and am committed to the project. So I started writing down some outlandish ideas for how we would handle Starsky and Hutch today – ideas that would be exciting and different and not at all what people expect. This would NOT be a reboot or a remake, but a continuation of the original series that would deconstruct the buddy cop show in a fun way. Like Guardians of the Galaxy did with the space opera, it would honor the genre while turning it inside-out. And it would definitely not be a spoof like the 2004 Starsky & Hutch movie – it would be gritty and driven by both characters and high stakes. I came up with a lot of wild ideas – things I can’t go into quite yet – but stuff that got me excited about the prospect of creating a TV show.

So I sent my ideas off to Neall and the guys and, instead of balking at the twists of it all, they fully embraced my vision and were excited by it. So Neal and I got the two writers I trusted most in the world to work with us, my brother Brian Gunn (co-creator of our PG-Porn web series) and my cousin Mark Gunn. They took my nascent ideas and ran with them, creating a complex storyline we’re all crazy about.

Out of all the places that wanted to finance the pilot script, we chose Amazon. At Amazon I believed we would have the most freedom to create something that is different, challenges the audience, and that strays outside the parameters of genre from time to time. I also have quite a few filmmaker friends who have been working with Amazon lately, and what sets them apart from most of the other friends I have working in TV is that they love them.

So, yes, I AM working on Starsky & Hutch for Amazon: I couldn’t be more excited, and I can’t wait for you guys to see what we come up with. Striped Tomato forever! Stay tuned!

The details:
– This is the first foray into television for my production company, Troll Court Entertainment.
– Sony Pictures TV is behind the show, and Brian, Mark, and I will executive produce alongside Neal Moritz, whose Original Films has an overall deal with Sony TV. The company’s head of TV, Pavun Shetty, is also executive producing.
– The original series was created by William Blinn and produced by Spelling-Goldberg, airing on ABC from 1975 to 1979. It starred Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul as Starsky & Hutch as they protected the streets of the fictional and awesome Bay City.

I can’t wait to see what he is going to do with this series. I think that the best part about Gunn’s involvement in this series is that we all know that it will never take itself too seriously. I feel that the current wave of cop shows out there have turned into soap operas. I tried watching one recently and I counted FIVE dramatic pauses while the actor on screen looks off to the distance. LAME! I HAVE NEVER DONE THIS! I understand that it has worked in the past and really appeals to some people. It is about time someone came in and shook this genre up! I believe Gunn is the man to do this. What do you think?

There is no release date as of yet, but I will be looking forward to what this project will turn into.