‘T.J. Hooker’ Movie Completes TV Adaptation Bingo

Published by Jeff Leins on: July 6th, 2009

Before you can say, “Hey, I remember that show” Hollywood has greenlit an adaptation of “T.J. Hooker,” the 80’s cop show starring William Shatner.  Anyone looking to connect the squares between the Dukes of Hazzard and Charlie’s Angels on their “Bad TV Adaptations” bingo card, this is your lucky day.  However, this is bad news to the guy holding out for “Walker Texas Ranger.”

According to Variety, the series is being revived as an “action comedy,” which gets half of the punchline status of this show right.  Even Shatner knew this show was a joke when he spoofed it on “Saturday Night Live” over twenty years ago.  But if Star Trek can become ten feature films and then start over, why not… T.J. Hooker?

Chuck Russell, who directed such classics as The Scorpion King and Jim Carrey’s The Mask, is in talks to direct and we’re all really pulling for him.  The writing team of Brent Maddock and S.S. Wilson (Wild Wild West) will script the story, which focuses on the relationship between the title character and his father.  If that’s not a winning combination, I don’t know what is.

No actors have been cast in the movie at this time, but since Shatner is over 78-years-old I’m going to tentatively rule him out.  Maybe Chris Pine is available again.  Though I’m sure Shatner will find time from his busy schedule to rant about how he’ll always be the real T.J. Hooker, as if anyone was actively looking to steal that identity.  The show also launched the careers of Heather Locklear and Heather Locklear’s 80’s hair, who worked together again on the soap opera “Dynasty.”  She’s also too old and equally irrelevant.

Producing the adaptation is series creator Rick Husky, who ironically also created “Walker, Texas Ranger.”  You were so close, Bingo guy.  When asked why T.J. Hooker and not “W,TR” producer Ryan Heppe said, “The series was the poster child for cop TV shows in the 1980s with great stunts, so we think there’s a fun movie to be made from it.” The translation?  Money.