You read that right, Rockfordians. The Rockford Files might be getting a reboot.
According to the Deadline, a reboot of the beloved PI show has gotten a pilot order from NBC. The original Rockford Files, which starred the great James Garner as our eponymous hero, Jim Rockford, ran on NBC from September 13, 1974, to January 10, 1980. Helming this new chapter are writer Mike Daniels, and producers Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly.
The original Rockford Files, created by created by Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell, was a breezy, easy detective show about a laid-back PI who lives in a trailer on the beach and solves crimes with the help of his sweet elderly father and his best friend, who happens to be a police officer. Sometimes his cute lawyer friend helps.
According to Variety, “There have been various attempts to reboot “The Rockford Files” over the years, including a failed 2009 NBC pilot starring Dermot Mulroney that was produced by Steve Carrell. Universal Pictures also developed a feature film version that was to star Vince Vaughn, though it never moved forward.”
NBC is producing a flurry of pilots, right now. Apparently, as with many reboots, the new series will go in a slightly more gritty direction. According to Deadline,
“The Rockford Files is a contemporary update on the classic series. Newly paroled after doing time for a crime he didn’t commit, James Rockford returns to his life as a private investigator using his charm and wit to solve cases around Los Angeles. It doesn’t take long for his quest for legitimacy to land him squarely in the crosshairs of both local police and organized crime.”
So, you know. Similar but different. There’s no word yet as to who will pick up the mantle (linen shirt and swim trunks) of Jim Rockford.
BUT will anyone be as good as James Garner? Come on. Be serious, now.
