‘Magnum P.I.’ Reboot Series in the Works
A reboot of the Tom Selleck detective drama Magnum P.I. is in the works at CBS, which aired the original series for eight seasons in the Eighties.
The rebooted Magnum P.I. will feature an updated plot that “follows Thomas Magnum (Selleck’s former role), a decorated ex-Navy SEAL who, upon returning home from Afghanistan, repurposes his military skills to become a private investigator. With help from fellow vets Theodore ‘TC’ Calvin and Orville ‘Rick’ Wright, as well as that of disavowed former MI:6 agent Juliet Higgins, Magnum takes on the cases no one else will, helping those who have no one else to turn to.”
Variety reports that the reboot has already been given a “pilot production commitment” from CBS.
Although a new Magnum P.I. series stalled at ABC in 2016 – that series would have starred Eva Longoria as Magnum’s daughter – the reboot touts producer Paul Lenkov, who helped bring reboots of Hawaii Five-O and MacGyver to CBS. Lenkov will co-write the pilot with Eric Guggenheim.
As The Hollywood Reporter points out, since Selleck is currently under contract with fellow CBS drama Blue Bloods, it’s plausible that the actor could appear on Magnum P.I. as well, although it’s unclear whether he would don the Detroit Tigers cap again.
Magnum P.I. joins the ever-growing list of film and TV properties that have been revived or rebooted for network TV, joining series like Lethal Weapon, Training Day, Minority Report, True Lies, Twin Peaks, The X-Files, Scream, Miami Vice, The Matrix and many more.