Friday Night Lights has a new movie, and a new rebooted TV series in the works, as confirmed by producer Brian Grazer. Friday Night Lights followed a high school football team in the fictional Dillion, Texas, and its ensemble faced many trials and tribulations. The show starred Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler and ran for five seasons from 2006 to 2011.
Inspired by the nonfiction book of the same name and a film in 2004, Friday Night Lights was a critical success earning an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series in 2011 and a passionate fanbase that kept the show afloat due to dodgy ratings. Ensemble members Michael B. Jordan and Jesse Plemons would have successful careers as stars of Black Panther and Breaking Bad respectfully. The show was praised for its sensitive and detailed portrayal of Middle America and deep analysis of contemporary issues.
In an interview with Collider, Grazer discussed how the new movie and series would take place in a new setting and feature new characters. In addition to talking up the new film, Grazer revealed that the events of the movie "will lead us into a new series that takes place in a more recent time…like now, today, and we're excited about it." Read Grazer's quote on the show's new setting below:
"We're working on another Friday Night Lights movie in Del Rio, Texas on a border town that takes place in 2015 and hope to be making that the beginning of next year."
He also discussed bringing on writer and director John Erick Dowdle and his brother Drew Dowdle, known for their work on the tv series Waco to show-run the new series. The duo is expected to write and direct the movie, then showrun the new tv series following.
With rumors of a Friday Night Lights reboot circling for years, it's only good news for long-time fans of the series. Efforts to bring back the franchise have been ongoing, with original show-runner Peter Berg trying to produce a film continuation in 2013. The show was also known for its dedicated fanbase, who at one point raised over $15,000 for charity to support the show during the 2007-2008 Writer's Guild of America strike.
Friday Night Lights was known for its authentic depiction of its characters' plights, discussing many hot-button issues such as family values, racism, drug use, abortion, and lack of economic opportunity in the American heartland. With many of the issues increasingly relevant today, the new Friday Night Lights could stand as a reminder of the universal qualities of the human experience. The producers are right to start with a new cast and setting after the Emmy award-winning finale "Always" stands in viewers' minds as one of the best series finale's of all time. With a new location and cast, the new Friday Night Lights movie and tv series could shape up to be a revival worthy of the name.
Source: Collider