The Greatest American Hero is one of those cult US TV properties that never quite achieved mainstream awareness here in the UK. What better duo, then, to dust off an old telly property and give it a new lease on life than Jump Street writer/directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller?
Yes, the **Lego Movie **pair is working with 20th Century Fox to develop a new take on the series, which originally ran between 1981 and 1983 and sprang from the prolific brain-factory of producer Stephen J. Cannnell, who created or co-created nearly 40 shows, including The A-Team, The Rockford Files and 21 Jump Street.
The Greatest American Hero starred William Katt as Raph Hinkley, a teacher who comes into possession of an alien suit than affords him superhuman powers. Unfortunately for our hero, he doesn’t quite know how to control it, and his efforts to fight crime are a little hit-and-miss. Check out the opening credits below.
It really is fertile territory for Lord and Miller, who have retooled the concept to revolve around a teacher named Isaac, who hates wearing the suit and quickly loses the instructions. Then there is the government handler assigned to his case, who has a very different agenda.
The new show has a “put pilot” commitment, which means Fox will have to pay up if the episode doesn’t reach the air. Given the people involved, this one has a better chance than many.