Remo Williams Will Finally Continue His Adventures In A TV Series

In 1985, the late Fred Ward starred in a pulpy action movie called "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins," about a Brooklyn cop and Vietnam vet, who has his death faked and his face surgically altered to become a martial artist and government assassin. Based on the long-running "Destroyer" series of books by Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir, the film was meant to jumpstart a new franchise, with its title suggesting that Remo, like Batman, was just beginning his screen adventures and would enjoy many more of them.

Alas, "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins" opened at #4 at the box office, to lackluster reviews. An official sequel never materialized, which left Remo's exploits confined to the status of a cult favorite until now. His remaining adventures have instead played out in over 150 novels—and one abortive TV series that never made it past the pilot episode in 1988.

Good news, though, Remo Williams fans: your fervent prayers (or casual wishes) for another chance at a TV series have been answered. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures Television has landed the rights to Murphy and Sapir's "Destroyer" books, with Gordon Smith set to be the executive producer and writer for a new Remo Williams series.

Smith's name might be known to "Better Call Saul" fans. Starting as a production assistant on "Breaking Bad," he worked his way up to the role of a staff writer and eventually a producer and director on the recently ended spin-off, becoming part of its brain trust with co-creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. The first "Better Call Saul" episode Smith wrote, "Five-O," was nominated for an Emmy Award, and he was also nominated for the episode "Gloves Off," before winning in season 3 for "Chicanery."

With so many books featuring the Remo Williams character, there's no shortage of plot lines that could be used for the TV series. The first "Destroyer" book was published in 1971, which means Remo's been out there in the world of paperbacks for over 50 years now. In that respect, the character is somewhat similar to Perry Mason (first introduced in 1933, before headlining his own CBS series in the 1950s and 1960s). HBO just dropped the trailer for the second season of its "Perry Mason" series this week, which shows the kind of staying power these characters have.

Rather than a dark drama, however, the producers of the new Remo Williams series — which includes Adrian Askarieh — have said that they are hoping to build a "cohesive and iconic international action/adventure universe." That makes it seem like Remo's series could something more in the vein of Prime Video's "Jack Ryan" series, with a dash of "sardonic humor" from the books thrown in, per THR. Another comparison might be "Better Call Saul" star Bob Odenkirk's own action movie, "Nobody."

At one point, Shane Black was also trying to get a Remo Williams movie off the ground, and you can see how that kind of humor might appeal to his sensibilities. Black's frequent collaborator, Robert Downey Jr., was originally supposed to star in HBO's "Perry Mason" before he stepped back to a producer's role and handed off the acting reins to Matthew Rhys. 

A new Remo Williams series has the potential to be fun or forgettable, but with Smith's "Better Call Saul" pedigree and the right actor in the lead role, hopefully viewers will get the latter.