She-Hulk Director to Helm CBS’ Matlock Reboot Pilot

CBS’ rebooted take on Matlock has landed its director. On Tuesday, reports indicated that She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Marry Me‘s Kat Coiro will direct and executive produce the pilot episode of the new series. Based on the Andy Griffith-led series of the same name, this new take on Matlock will gender-bend the character, with Kathy Bates starring in the titular role. The series hails from Jane the Virgin‘s Jennie Snyder Urman and Eric Christian Olsen.

Coiro recently helmed several episodes of Disney+’s She-Hulk, and executive produced the series. She is also currently directing and executive producing the streamer’s adaptation of The Spiderwick Chronicles book series.

What is the Matlock reboot about?

In Matlock, after achieving success in her younger years, the brilliant septuagenarian Madeline Matlock (Bates) rejoins the work force at a prestigious law firm where she uses her unassuming demeanor and wily tactics to win cases and expose corruption from within.

The original Matlock aired from 1986 to 1992 on NBC and 1992 to 1995 on ABC and ran for nearly 200 episodes. It also spawned the spinoff Jake and the Fatman, which ran for five seasons on CBS.

Will Kat Coiro direct a Marvel movie?

The events of She-Hulk left some wondering if a World War Hulk movie might be in the works, continuing the adventures of Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) and the larger Hulk family. As Coiro told ComicBook.com shortly after the show’s season finale, she would be more than willing to take on the challenge of directing that movie.

“100%,” Coiro explained at the time. “I mean, I said this in the beginning, and I still stand by this — one of my favorite things about the whole series is the chemistry between Tatiana and Mark, and their kind of sibling, big brother/little sister dynamic. And I think bringing that to the big screen would be a no brainer.”

“Look, the thing that drew me to the comics in the first place was this idea of tromping across the advertisements and telling the writers what to do,” Coiro said elsewhere in our interview. “And so the fact that this was baked into the concept is part of what made me so excited about the series as a whole. Knowing we were always going to that place, and knowing that we have a character who is self-aware, and knows she’s on a show. It kind of allows for a lot of license — like if a plot feels contrived or if something feels silly, you’re like, ‘Yeah, but it is. It’s a show.’ So I feel like you get away with a lot more than you do when you’re not so self aware and meta.”

What do you think of Kat Coiro joining CBS’ Matlock reboot? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!