'MacGyver' Reboot Greenlighted by CBS [Release Date, Cast, Trailer]

• comments
• 
• 

It seems like the era of reboots, with "Gilmore Girls" heading back to people's screens on Netflix, "Fuller House" also under Netflix, and "The X-Files" returning to FOX. Its as if television networks are nostalgic for all things past. Here's another upcoming reboot that may make those who grew up in the 90s totally nostalgic for their old TV shoes: "MacGyver."

Originally debuting back in 1985, the action/adventure series "MacGyver" starred Richard Dean Anderson as the titular role of secret agent Angus MacGyver, whose scientific knowledge and wits, together with his Swiss Army knife, would get him out of any trouble. The series ran from 1985 to 1992, spanning seven seasons and two TV movies released inMay and November 1994. The series was created by Lee David Zlotoff (who has written two episodes of "NCIS") and "Royal Pains"' and "Children's Hospital"'s Henry Winkler.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, CBS has approved the pilot adaptation of "MacGyver," which will follow a young MacGyver "as he gets recruited into a clandestine organization where he uses his knack for solving problems in unconventional ways to help prevent disasters from happening."

Winkler, who served as executive producer in the original series, is set to return, alongside James Wan's Atomic Monster head of production Michael Clear. For those who are not familiar, Wan's credits include "Saw," " Insidious," "The Conjuring," and "Furious 7."

Deadline reports that the show will be written by Paul Downs Colaizzo. Further reports say that the reboot was submitted to CBS back in October with a put-pilot commitment, meaning that either way, the show will go on air.

"I love the concept behind MacGyver, and I love the direction that we were going with it … My initial concept was I wanted to do a young college MacGyver who went to Boston, one of the great universities, who’s really brilliant, right?" Wan told Crave Online in early 2015, as per Entertainment Weekly. "He’s so smart he could never feel like he fit into a world that is an establishment. So he’s always a bit of an outsider. He’s very crafty, he’s very smart, all kinds of science and mathematics and engineering."

"I wanted to put my MacGyver story around something like a North by Northwest: He gets blamed for something that he had designed, something really big that’s something everyone wanted, and now someone has weaponized it and everyone’s coming after him," Wan explained.

Fans will have to wait for CBS' official announcement on who will be the face of "MacGyver" or when the show will debut on television.