A Smokey and the Bandit TV show is happening at Universal Content Productions (UCP). David Gordon Green's Rough House Pictures is teaming with Seth MacFarlane's Fuzzy Door to bring the 1977 big screen classic to the small screen. Burt Reynolds and Sally Field starred in the original movie, which was the second-highest grossing movie of the year, right behind Star Wars. Since then, the movie has been a permanent fixture in pop culture.
The Smokey and the Bandit series is described as "an epic adventure of family, small-town crime, unlikely heroes, legend and legacy. Inspired by the genre of 70s and 80s drive-in double-features, the series explores the crossroads where humble realities meet those larger-than-life, all in a blast of tailpipe exhaust." David Gordon Green is set to direct the pilot and co-write with Brian Sides. Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins from Fuzzy Door will executive produce, alongside Green, Danny McBride, Jody Hill and Brandon James of Rough House Pictures.
David Gordon Green is very excited to partner with UCP to bring the Smokey and the Bandit series to life. "Growing up in the south, Smokey and the Bandit was an iconic franchise for me. The legacy of these characters is a playground of swagger and sass that I'm excited to dig into," he said in a statement. Erica Huggins also released a statement, which you can read below.
"When UCP mentioned Smokey and the Bandit we were immediately drawn to it. We knew we had to remain faithful to its original setting in the South, and find an authentic voice. David's immediate interest and his unique perspective and love for the original made it possible. Smokey and the Bandit was a very cool and irreverent film at the time and we hope to achieve that same feeling in the show."
Smokey and the Bandit isn't the only project from the vault getting the greenlight from UCP. Battlestar Galactica for Peacock and Chucky for Syfy are all in the works and there will likely be more in the near future. As for who will star in the upcoming Smokey and the Bandit series, that is unclear at the moment, though a lot of people will more than likely want to get in on the project.
David Gordon Green has been all over the place with his Rough House Pictures crew. They brought the Halloween franchise back to life in 2018 and they have two more sequels ready to roll. They are also behind The Righteous Gemstones, Eastbound and Down, Vice Principals, the upcoming Mel Gibson Santa Claus movie Fatman, and a ton of others. Smokey and the Bandit will be an anticipated series, so it will be interesting to see how it all works out and who gets to take over for the iconic Burt Reynolds. The Rough House Pictures Twitter account was the first to announce the news.