The drama is inspired by the 1969 Paramount film and its subsequent 2003 remake.
Add The Italian Job to the list of movies being adapted for TV.
NBC has handed out a script sale with a penalty attached to a reboot of the 1969 Paramount film and its subsequent 2003 remake, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
NBC's The Italian Job follows a make-shift family of expert criminals who are forced out of retirement when an opportunity arises to get their beloved "patriarch" out of jail. At the core of this dysfunctional family is Charlie Croker, a handsome and charming ex-con who tried to go straight, but like the rest of his crew, can’t resist the adrenaline rush of the high-stakes heist world.
Rob Weiss (Ballers, Entourage)and Benjamin Brand are set to pen the script and exec produce alongside Donald De Line, who produced the 2003 remake. The drama will be produced by Paramount Television, whose film arm produced both movies.
The 2003 feature, directed by F. Gary Gray, starred Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Jason Statham, Ed Norton, Seth Green, Mos Def and Donald Sutherland. The film grossed $176 million worldwide. The 1969 feature, directed by Peter Collinson, starred Michael Caine, Noel Coward, Benny Hill, Raf Vallone and Tony Beckley with music by Quincy Jones.
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 as more studios look to monetize their existing film libraries.
Already in the works this season are reboots of Magnum P.I. (ABC), The Lost Boys (CW), Varsity Blues (CMT), The Departed (Amazon), Let the Right One In (TNT) and L.A. Law, though the latter does not yet have a network attached.
For its part, NBC has a reboot of Taken — based on the Liam Neeson thriller — due later this season.
Weiss and Brand are repped by WME.
TV Development
