If, like us, you suffered through the supremely disappointing event crap fest Wild Wild West more than a decade ago, you might have tried to scrub any awareness of the title’s existence from your mind frame. But that would be a shame; since the TV show it was adapted from is actually rather fun, in an action-filled, good-for-its-‘60s-time way. Now it would seem US telly has woken up to that fact, working out a deal with former CSI show-runner Naren Shankar and ex-Battlestar brain Ronald D Moore to craft a new version.
The pair will write and oversee the remake, which will follow a similar plot: two Secret Service agents with very different styles yet complementary personalities. The pair – gunslinger James West and gadget expert Artemus Gordon – confronted threats to the fledgling US under the auspices of President Ulysses S Grant.
We’re keeping our enthusiasm slightly mooted, though – since it’ll be for CBS, we expect the network (which has found success with the long-running CSI franchise and its new take on Hawaii 5-0), will want the creators to package the thing as easy to digest procedural adventure. Still, if it keeps even a little of the spirit of the original, it could be something enjoyable to watch…