One of the big “trends” in entertainment right now — alongside reboots — are movies getting television adaptations. For filmmaker Ron Howard, a few of his films have gotten that treatment already. His 1989 film Parenthood became a six-season hit for NBC between 2010 and 2015 and more recently, his 1988 film Willow got an expansion in the Disney+ series of the same name. Now, there’s another of his films he’d like to see get the television treatment: 1991’s Backdraft.
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“Backdraft would be really good,” Howard told Entertainment Weekly. “Backdraft would be fun. You could get the scope and the intensity that we had to do all in-camera — now we could do it efficiently and safely.”
Backdraft starred Kurt Russell and William Baldwin and told the story of two Chicago firefighter brothers who find themselves forced to work together on the trail of a serial arsonist. In addition to Russell and Baldwin, the film also starred Robert De Niro, Donald Sutherland, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and more. The film was a box office success with a $152.4 million worldwide box office on a budget of $40 million and inspired a special attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood. While the film did get a direct-to-video sequel in 2019, Howard thinks television could be a good fit for the story.
“it’s a great world and there have been some shows around firehouses,” Howard said. “There’s something about a family of firefighters.”
Despite Howard’s interest in a Backdraft television adaptation, however, it isn’t a project that appears to be in the works. Howard clarified that it’s not something that he or producer Brian Grazer are working on, but it is something they talk about “from time to time”.
“We’re not actively working on it,” Howard said. “Although Brian Grazer talks about it from time to time, so maybe one of these days.”
Would Howard return for Season 2 of Willow?
While Howard couldn’t come back to Willow for Season 1 of the series, if the Disney+ offering gets renewed for a second season, he’s hopeful he would be able to direct.
“I wouldn’t want to make any promises as I’ve already got a few things that I’m dreaming of doing,” Howard pointed out. “But if we’re fortunate enough to be able to carry on with the show, I am going be as involved as I can be, as I was this season, because it means a lot to me.”
Would you want to see Backdraft adapted for television? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
