Cate Blanchett (Thor: Ragnarok) and Ben Stiller (Zero Effect) are teaming up for The Champions, a big-screen reinvention of a British sci-fi espionage series that originally aired in the 1960s. The original series, created by British TV producer Dennis Spooner, centered on UN agents who survive a plane crash in the Himalayas, and are granted superpowers from an advanced civilization, then return to their homes to dole out superhero-style truth, justice, and punching. Stiller will direct the film, which he and Blanchett will produce via their respective studios along with ITV Studios and New Republic. No word yet on who will write the script.
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As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, who first reported this story, this isn’t the first attempt to get The Champions off the ground as a feature film. In 2007, Guillermo del Toro and Tom Hanks took an aim at the property for United Artist, but it stalled out.
“I’ve long wanted to work with Ben – the director and the actor. He is one of the most engaged and versatile directors working today. Anyone who can make both Zoolander and Escape at Dannemora is a creative force to be reckoned with,” said Blanchett in a statement.
“I’m a huge fan of Cate’s for a very long time. I’m hoping this project will help people to finally take her seriously as an actress,” joked Stiller in a statement of his own.
The Champions originally starred Stuart Damon, Alexandra Bastedo, William Gaunt, and Anthony Nicholls. It ran for 2 seasons comprising 30 episodes in 1968 and 1969. The characters were fairly durable archetypes, with Craig Stirling being a pilot, Sharron Macready a scientist with some medical skills, and Richard Barrett being a codebreaker. No word yet on who will play the characters, or if Stiller and Blanchett will step in as leads.
Blanchett recently completed work on Eli Roth’s upcoming adaptation of Borderlands, while Stiller is in post-production on the Apple+ thriller Severance, which he directed. Upcoming projects for Stiller include the long-rumored Dodgeball 2, and Blanchett has Pinocchio and Brideshead Revisited.
