Just a few months ago, the 1984 movieThe Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimensionwas simply a cult classic with a small but devoted following. Shortly afterKevin Smithdirected an episode ofThe Flash, he was approacheed to turn this movie into a TV series, and now it seems that show has found a home. A new report reveals that the director and MGM are finalizing a deal to bring theBuckaroo Banzaishow to Amazon Studios.
Deadlinereports that Amazon and MGM are “close to locking in a deal” that would bring the show to the streaming service. The report claims that Amazon is eyeing to air the series at some point next year, but an exact episode count wasn’t given. The news comes just hours afterAmazon Studiosannounced their new comedy shows for their fall pilot season, including a reboot ofThe Tick.
The original movie followed the title character, played byPeter Weller, an adventurer/surgeon/rock star, who takes on evil alien invaders from the 8th dimension alongside his band of men, the Hong Kong Cavaliers. The movie also starredJohn Lithgow,Ellen Barkin,Jeff GoldblumandChristopher Lloyd. While it only made $6.2 million during its theatrical run, it became a cult classic in the years that followed. It isn’t known if the series will bring back any of the original cast members.
Kevin Smithfirst revealed the news of his involvement in this series on hisHollywood Babble-Onpodcast in May, and then just last month, he teased that MGM had found a home for the series, although he wouldn’t reveal what network or streaming service landed the show, because the deal wasn’t finalized yet. The director went on to confirm the Amazon Studios deal through his Twitter page earlier today. It isn’t known if the filmmaker has already written the pilot script, or when casting may begin.
During his May podcast appearance,Kevin Smithteased that the first season would just be “the entire movie, while Season 2 would feature thesequelfans have “dreamed about,” featuringBuckaroo Banzaitaking on the World Crime League. It isn’t known if Amazon will be officially announcing this series in the near future, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted. In the meantime, take a look atKevin Smith’s tweet from earlier today about hisBuckaroo BanzaiTV series.
