The classic buddy comedy movie Turner and Hooch is getting a revival, as a TV series adaptation is in early development at Disney+. Released in 1989, the original starred Tom Hanks as a detective who partners up with a canine to fight crime. As part of a deal with 20th Century Fox TV, Matt Nix (The Gifted) has signed on to write and executive produce the series. Because the series is still in its very early stages, there aren’t any additional details on the project at this time.
Turner & Hooch was originally supposed to be directed by Henry Winkler, who had a fued with Tom Hanks. Director Roger Spottiswoode stepped into replace Winkler, working with producer Raymond Wagner. Beverly Hills Cop writer Daniel Petrie Jr. also co-wrote and executive produced the movie. Along with Hanks, the movie starred Mare Winningham, Craig T. Nelson, Reginald VelJohnson, Scott Paulin, and Beasley the Dog as Hooch. It tells the story of a police detective who adopts his murdered friend’s dog and later comes to realize the canine can help him solve the crime.
This won’t be the first time there has been an attempt for a Turner and Hooch TV Show. In 1990, about a year after the release of the original movie, NBC had developed a television pilot for a Turner & Hooch series. It starred Back to the Future actor Thomas F. Wilson taking over Tom Hanks’ role as Scott Turner, though it brought back Beasley the Dog to reprise the role of Hooch. The pilot aired in the summer of that year but wasn’t given a full series order by the network.
It’s not yet clear exactly how faithful the TV series adaptation will be to the original movie, though it will likely share the same basic premise. This is also obviously far from the first time Disney has gone back to the well to recreate some classic properties with the hopes of achieving similar or greater success. The strategy has proven to be fruitful for the company, as Disney’s updated remakes of animated classics like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King have been consistently premiering in theaters. A live-action Lady and the Tramp also debuted on Disney+ just last month.
In order to establish Disney+ as a must-have streaming service for subscribers, the House of Mouse has also been going beyond their own animated movies by digging deep into their vault of intellectual properties for more classic movies and TV shows to revive. It has also been reported that a TV series adaptation based on The Mighty Ducks is in the works for the small screen. Of course, the streaming service has also found great success by tapping into the Star Wars franchise for the new series The Mandalorian, which has quickly become one of the most popular television shows of the year.
Turner & Hooch getting named as the next classic movie to get a reboot will certainly have people wondering what Disney is going to reboot next. Regardless of how it turns out, we’ll always have the original, which will forever be a timeless classic. Let’s hope the TV series is just as fun in its own way. This news comes to us from Variety.
