Baywatch Reboot in Development
A new era of Baywatch might be on the way. On Friday, a new report suggested that Freemantle is developing a reboot of the classic drama series, which originally ran from 1989 through 2001. While no creative team is reportedly attached to this Baywatch reboot, Freemantle has reportedly had "early talks" with a number of streaming services and broadcasters.
The original Baywatch was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz and Gregory J. Bonann, and followed a group of lifeguards who patrolled the beaches of LA County. The series made household names out of its star-studded ensemble cast, which included (but certainly was not limited to) David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson, Alexandra Paul, Gregory Alan Williams, Parker Stevenson, Billy Warlock, Erika Eleniak, and Yasmine Bleeth. At its peak, the series was being watched by over 1.1 billion viewers weekly.
Has Baywatch been rebooted?
Baywatch did get reimagined into a 2017 film, which was led by Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron, and ultimately was seen as a critical flop. Additionally, original star David Chokachi has teased the possibility of the show itself getting rebooted.
"Right before COVID, they were in the talks of rebooting the show," Chokachi told The Production Meeting. in a 2020 interview. "They were going to bring back three of the series regulars from the original, and I found out I'm one of them, which is cool."
"I had pitched them, they've rebooted every show from the '90s and I'd say half of them were hits," Chokachi continued. "I was like, 'why are you guys lagging on this? Why don't you try and strike?' Then the movie came out and the movie squashed any idea [of a revival]. Actually, CBS was going to do the show; I had a meeting with them, a location scout -- and then the movie came out and they were like, no. CBS went with Magnum that year. Anyway, they're still trying. Creatively, do I want to go back and do that work? It's a genre, Baywatch. Even if it's a reboot, it's a certain kind of work you'd be doing. But why not? Why not try it? You never know. In this day and age, that show could blow up again because of streaming."
What do you think of a Baywatch reboot possibly being in the works? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
h/t: Deadline