In recent years, reboots and revivals of both film and television properties have been lighting up the small screen. In 2016 alone, a number of TV series have been inspired by classic films, such as ‘70s horror favorite The Exorcist, while the small screen has also seen a number of revivals, as in the case of beloved ‘90s dramedy Gilmore Girls, which got a second chance through Netflix's Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Still more properties were announced that later got axed, and many projects are still in the pipeline.
Film-to-TV adaptations have been especially popular. See: Minority Report, based on Steven Spielberg’s 2002 film, Lethal Weapon, based on the ‘80s-launched action-film series, and the forthcoming Heathers series on the 1988 black comedy of the same name.
Now, Hulu is developing a TV reboot for Foxy Brown, Jack Hill’s 1974 blaxploitation flick. As reported by The Wrap, Meagan Good (Deception, Think Like A Man) is attached to star and produce. Coincidentally, she also appeared in Fox’s Minority Report adaptation, though she most recently took on a three-episode arc on Code Black. Good’s husband, DeVon Franklin (Miracles from Heaven), and Tony Krantz (Mulholland Drive) are set to executive produce, while Empire writer-producer Malcolm Spellman and Hand of God creator Ben Watkins will pen the script.
The original film followed the titular Brown (Pam Grier), a woman who poses as a high-class prostitute in order to avenge the death of her government agent boyfriend, who was shot down by a group of drug dealers. The character has since become a cultural archetype, inspiring Quentin Tarantino’s 1997 movie Jackie Brown (also starring Grier) and Beyonce’s Foxxy Cleopatra from Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), among others.
The series is being billed as a “modern reimagining,” according to Deadline, and it will need to be a careful adaptation. The Foxy Brown character is still regarded as a powerful representation of a strong, female action hero — an important gesture against the backdrop of today’s turbulent race relations. The film itself, however, relies on some potentially problematic, stereotype-affirming depictions of Black culture, so those areas will need to be treated with special attention. If done correctly, the show could tackle some very relevant, meaningful themes, but it could just as easily fall back on tired tropes.
Given the accomplished team behind it, one would expect it won’t be the latter, but it will also have to face the overcrowded reboot slate. Both Minority Report and CBS’ Rush Hour were canceled after only one season. Hopefully, Foxy Brown will be able to break out.
We’ll keep you updated on Foxy Brown as more information becomes available.