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View Full Version : Kolchak's coming back -- in style!




Thomas Veil
Jan 1, 2005, 09:38 PM
Wow! The new year started off with some of the best news I've heard in a long time. X Files writer-producer Frank Spotnitz is working on a new version of the TV series Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

Aside from Spotnitz's obvious credentials, I'm encouraged by his statement that "As much as I loved the TV movie, the (original) series was not successful. I wouldn't expect a religiously faithful adaptation. I don't intend to repeat the same mistakes."

What he's talking about is that the original show turned into a formulaic monster-of-the-week series. While still highly entertaining, it became far-fetched to believe that Kolchak could be stumbling across all manner of hobgoblins that frequently.

Anyway, I hope this turns into something good. I've often thought that the original source novel by Jeff Rice would make one helluva theatrical film.

Link (http://www2.cinescape.com/0/editorial.asp?aff_id=0&this_cat=Television&action=page&type_id=&cat_id=&obj_id=42719)



Thomas Veil
Jan 3, 2005, 01:24 PM
Nobody's heard of this series but me? This was, after all, the show that inspired Chris Carter to create The X Files.

Dont Hurt Me
Jan 3, 2005, 01:34 PM
Great old show, watched every episode. has lots of potential as a remake for sure. Allways kind of had you thinking at the end.

filmcutter
Jan 3, 2005, 01:46 PM
one of my favorite shows as a kid. Along with Gerry Anderson's UFO - also could make for a cool refurb...

Dont Hurt Me
Jan 3, 2005, 01:57 PM
I wish both of those shows would have ran longer but if i remember they had awkward time slots. Lot of time the brass want to sink a good show before it really gets started. Star Trek comes to mind in this reguard. UFO was terrific to watch and those aliens where out of this world...................... :D

Thomas Veil
Jan 6, 2005, 10:42 AM
UFO was also a favorite of mine, largely because they didn't give you pat Hollywood happy endings. Many of the episodes were actually rather downbeat, especially the one where Straker's duties ended up costing him his marriage and the life of his son.

I bought the DVD set of UFO recently, and I have to say that it unfortunately looks very dated. The sexism was even more blatant than it is on TV today, the model work is good but doesn't stand up to modern CG, and the 1970 hair styles and clothing are straight out of Austin Powers, making them something of a hoot. Still, the stories are very good, and yes, ripe for a remake.