Kiefer Sutherland in 1987's 'The Lost Boys' Photofest
Rob Thomas, who is behind The CW's 'iZombie,' is prepping the updated take on the 1987 Kiefer Sutherland vampire movie.
The CW may shift from The Vampire Diaries to The Lost Boys.
After a multiple-network bidding war, the younger-skewing network has signed on to team with Veronica Mars and iZombie creator Rob Thomas to develop a new take on 1987 vampire movie The Lost Boys, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The new take, which landed at The CW with a script commitment, reimagines the film over seven seasons (and 70 years) with each frame covering a decade. In success, the first run will be set in San Francisco during 1967's so-called Summer of Love. Each season will see the humans, setting, antagonist and story all change. Only the vampires — aka the Lost Boys — will remain the same.
Thomas will pen the script for the CW's take and exec produce via his Warner Bros. Television-based Spondoolie Productions banner alongside frequent collaborators Danielle Stokydk and Dan Etheridge. Gulfstream's Juliana Janes, Mike Kartz and Bill Bindley also will exec produce after the production company came up with the idea to remake the feature film that starred Sutherland, Jason Patric, Jami Gertz, Corey Haim and Corey Feldman.
The potential Lost Boys series comes as The CW is prepping to say farewell to The Vampire Diaries — with the Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec show signing off after its upcoming eighth season. The series was once the cornerstone of the network but has recently been topped by DC Comics entry The Flash, which now ranks as The CW's most-watched entry.
Reboots continue to remain in high demand as broadcast, cable and streaming outlets look for proven IP in a bid to cut through a cluttered scripted landscape that is quickly approaching 500 original series. Key to the remakes is having the original producers involved in some capacity — which The Lost Boys has in Warner Bros. — as more studios look to monetize their existing film libraries. Other reboots in the works include Varsity Blues at CMT and L.A. Law, though the latter does not yet have a network attached.
The upcoming broadcast season features a number of familiar titles, including MacGyver (CBS), Training Day (CBS), Frequency (The CW), Lethal Weapon (Fox), 24: Legacy (Fox), The Exorcist (Fox) and Taken (NBC).
TV Development The CW
