'Three's Company' Movie to Join the TV Revival Party

Another decades-old TV series is getting a re-do, but this time, rather than a short-run revival on a streaming service, the series in question is coming back to life as a feature film. New Line has hired a writing team to put together a new film version of Three's Company, the 70s and 80s sitcom that made stars of John Ritter and Suzanne Somers. The project is still in the negotiation stage, but the studio seems enthusiastic about moving forward.

The original series, which ran on ABC from 1977 to 1984, starred Ritter as Jack Tripper, a young man who moves into an apartment with two young women, played by Somers and Joyce DeWitt. Cross-gender cohabitation was widely considered scandalous at the time, and in order to slip their living situation past their stodgy landlord, the trio pretend that Jack is gay.

The series was very much a product of its time, and it relied heavily on sexual innuendo, homophobia and gay stereotypes for its humor. Although the new project is in its early stages, the plan is reportedly to set the film in the 1970s, perhaps as a way to justify revisiting the original's now-outdated attitudes.

The film's screenplay will be written by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, who have previously collaborated on Valentine's Day, How To Be Single and The Vow. The project will be produced by Robert Cort, whose producing credits primarily consist of comedy films from the 80s and 90s.