Those enjoying ITV chase thriller Prey here in the UK may be interested to know that writer Chris Lunt is attached to a prospective remake of classic character The Saint. Created by Leslie Charteris in 1928, Simon Templar (aka the title character) is a gentleman criminal for hire who gets into numerous jet-setting scrapes, with the brand’s infamous and vaguely effeminate stick man logo recognized across the globe.
There have been numerous adaptations, but the best known is the 1960s ITC series starring Sir Roger Moore. Val Kilmer was cast in a successful but unsatisfying movie in 1997 and a pilot was shot last year with British actor Adam Rayner and Eliza Dushku, produced by and featuring Moore, which failed to take off.
Now Lunt and co-writer Ed Whitmore (HALLAM FOE) hope to relaunch the brand with an as-yet unknown star. Lunt remarked:
I think we need to find a Roger Moore-type character. Maybe someone that we break, but he’s got to look big and he’s got to look threatening and he’s got to look like he could kill you with a tea towel, I think.
Although the writers have stated they want the production to have a British feel, the actual producers are American, so this doesn’t look especially promising at the moment. The recent pilot seemed to lack confidence in the Templar character, attaching Dushku as a further draw, and I’d be pleasantly surprised if this latest version didn’t follow suit.
Although a homegrown name with transatlantic pulling power such as Dominic West could be considered, I’m more inclined to look at Lunt’s current series for The Man Who Would Be Templar. Yes, Prey and Doctor Who star John Simm could be just the shot in the arm this decades-old adventurer needs.
Source: Belfast Telegraph
