'70s Brit secret service show, 'The Professionals' set for big-screen reboot

29-Mar-2011 • Bond Style

The nostalgic trend for cult classic television shows resurfacing on the big screen looks set to continue with a big screen remake of late 70s favourite The Professionals -- writes the Guardian

Studio Lionsgate has acquired the rights to produce a film version of the adventures of Bodie and Doyle, the style-conscious, crime-fighting vanguard of the fictional CI5 agency.

The original series starred Martin Shaw as Doyle, a hot-headed police detective, and Lewis Collins as ruthless former SAS sergeant and mercenary Bodie. Running for 57 episodes on ITV between 1977 and 1983, it offered a six-year showcase for bubble perms and polo neck jumpers.

Lionsgate said the film would take up the story of Bodie and Doyle's first CI5 mission together. Zygi Kamasa, the studio's UK chief executive, said: "This production will combine the wit and fast-paced action of the original TV series but also completely reinvent it for a new, modern audience."

The company will team up with producers Callum McDougall, who was an executive producer on the last two James Bond films, and Richard Whelan, who worked on Marvel's Captain America. Shooting is expected to begin in the UK later this year.