It looks like that MacGyver movie is coming closer to hitting theaters than originally thought. Development for the film has been quiet as of late, but New Line Cinema is now in talks with Saw and Insidious director James Wan to helm the big screen adaptation.

The film is using a script drafted by Jason Richman and polished by Brian Gunn and Mark Gunn (yes the two are related to Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn). The talks come on the heels of Warner Bros. pushing up the release date for Wan’s supernatural horror flick The Conjuring. Apparently test audiences are responding positively to the film, which is why the studio made such a move.

For those who might not be familiar with the character, MacGyver (played then by Richard Dean Anderson) was a top secret agent who despised using guns and used his knowledge of chemistry and explosives for creating bombs using random household items like paperclips or his trusty Swiss Army Knife to defeat the enemies. However, given that it’s been almost two decades since the last time we’ve seen MacGyver, it’s likely that this new MacGyver will have more sophisticated items at his disposal than just a paperclip.

It’s really a rather strange move by New Line Cinema. Having a director who has a long list of horror flicks on his resume to direct an action thriller seems like an unlikely match, but we’ll see what Wan can do with what he has been given before we start criticizing the move.

To get a jist of the show, here is the cold opening.

[Source: Variety]