Cate Blanchett is set to star alongside Ben Stiller as the actor directs a reboot of 1960’s TV series The Champions. The Champions, which ran for 30 episodes from 1968-69, was an UK-based ITV drama created by Dennis Spooner. The series followed three UN agents who crash land in the Himalayas and are rescued by a secret technologically advanced civilization from Tibet. The agents are gifted with superhuman intellect and powers by the secret community, and return to the outside World as champions of justice.
Now, Deadline reports that American comedy legend Ben Stiller is set to direct and produce a feature film adaptation of the series alongside double Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett. ITV Studios America and New Republic Pictures are combining forces with Blanchett’s production company, Dirty Films, to produce a new movie based on the hit show. Both Stiller and Blanchett will headline the cast of the film, which is yet to start production.
Blanchett is currently set to appear in Guillermo Del Toro’s upcoming noir-thriller Nightmare Alley alongside Bradley Cooper, which is set for a release this Christmas. Meanwhile, Stiller has been directing and producing the upcoming drama series Severence, which stars Patricia Arquette and Christopher Walken, and is set for a release on Apple TV+. The actor and producer has also recently been attached to produce a film adaptation of Rachel Maddow’s award-winning podcast Bag Man. No date is set for the release of The Champions, but the project is likely to enter pre-production soon and invite a new generation of fans when it releases.
Source: Deadline