With the recent avalanche of remakes and reboots being announced, I can say in all honesty that it’s actually a bit of a breath of fresh air to hear about a new TV adaptation.

T.J. Hooker, the Aaron Spelling show that starred William Shatner and Heather Locklear, is now being developed into a big screen feature length action comedy. The show followed T.J. Hooker (Shatner), a cop who voluntarily demotes himself after his partner is slain so that he can train rookie cops and get back to the hands-on work. One of the rookies he teams up with is a cocky young kid who doesn’t make things easy for Hooker. It ran from 1982 to 1986.

Chuck Russell is currently in talks to direct the adaptation. He’s best known for his work helming The Scorpion King and The Mask, but also has done The Blob (1988), Eraser, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. He was a producer on Michael Mann’s Collateral, as well.

Penning the script will be writing duo Brent Maddock and S.S. Wilson. The team has written everything from Short Circuit (as well as its sequel and the 2010 remake) and *batteries not included to Tremors 1-4 and Wild Wild West. Producing the movie will be David Foster, Ryan Heppe and Rickk Husky, who created the original show.

I’m not someone who has seen T.J. Hooker, but if I had to guess, this sounds like it’s going to end up in the same vicinity as the Starsky & Hutch and The Dukes of Hazzard adaptations.

[Source: Variety]