MacGyver Reboot Movie and TV Series in the Works

In the ongoing quest to fill movie theaters and TV channels with nothing but new versions of old properties, Lionsgate and CBS have announced a plan to reboot the 1980s TV series MacGyver in the form of a theatrical movie and a TV pilot that could lead to a new series.

The original series, which starred Richard Dean Anderson as an ultra-resourceful special agent who could get himself out of any jam using only the unlikely tools he happened to have on hand, has remained a part of the American cultural consciousness despite the fact that it went off the air nearly 20 years ago.

The movie project will be produced by Lee David Zlotoff, who created the original series, and Neal Moritz, producer of the The Fast and the Furious franchise. Henry Winkler, a producer of the original series, will work on the new pilot, along with Furious 7 director James Wan, who will direct.

The new projects will feature a younger version of the MacGyver character, and we will get to see how the skilled young man was recruited to be a secret agent. Both projects have been in development for some time, but CBS has said that the pilot is a high priority, and the series could be ready for the 2016 fall season.