It’s official! CBS have picked up a pilot for a MacGyver series, bringing on board original MacGyver producer Henry Winkler, as well as writer Paul Downs Colaizzo, and director James Wan (best known for the Saw franchise, and Fast and the Furious 7).
Variety reported the reboot in October last year, but details have remained pretty sketchy since then. Now we know that the new MacGyver will be 20-something, and will focus on how he got his skills, and recruited into the Phoenix Foundation.
James Wan is apparently a huge MacGyver fan, developing a ‘young MacGyver’ feature that was ultimately scrapped. Still, it bodes well for MacGyver purists to have a fanboy (as well as original producer Winkler) at the helm of the reboot.
It’s obvious that Winkler and Wan are being picky. A first script by NCIS: Los Angeles exec producer R. Scott Gemmill was dumped, despite his pedigree, and Colaizzo bought on – he’s a relatively inexperienced TV writer, better known as a talented playwright. It will be interesting to see what he brings to the table.
It’s not the first time a MacGyver reboot has been tried. In 2003, WB made a pilot starring Jared Padalecki as Mac’s nephew, but the series didn’t make it beyond the first episode. Padalecki saw his run at Gilmour Girls out, and ultimately went on to star in Supernatural.
