Taking a movie and rebooting it as a television series is nothing new, but it's picked up a lot of steam lately. Movies like Lethal Weapon, The Exorcist, and Rush Hour have all gotten the TV treatment (to varying success), and now an 80's cult classic is joining their roster. A Heathers TV series will be making its way on to TV Land, but the show won't just be a total retread of the film; more than one big change is being made in the translation from film to television.
According to Variety, TV Land has picked up the TV series reboot of Heathers with a 10-episode order. The pilot will premiere in the fall season of 2017, and it will be TV Land's first hour-long series. So far, the only original cast member of Heathers announced to be involved with the show is Shannon Douherty, but it's unknown what exactly her role will be, and if more original cast members will join her.
Heathers is based on an 80's movie of the same name which starred Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. The filmed followed Ryder's character Veronica, a high school girl who is invited to join the popular girl clique, which consists of three mean girls named Heather. Veronica soon becomes enamored with J.D. (Slater), a dangerous bad boy who helps her get even with the Heathers. It's a black comedy with a surprising amount of murder, fake suicide, and shoulder pads (so many shoulder pads).
The TV series will be set in the present day, and it's changing up the formula of the original in a big way. First off, the Heathers are now outcasts who have risen up to become the popular clique. While the character names are staying the same, the actual roles are being revitalized. Heather Duke (played by Brendan Scannell), for instance, will now be a man who identifies as gender-queer; Heather McNamara (Jasmine Mathews) is now a black lesbian; Finally, Heather Chandler will be played by Melanie Field. The cast is rounded out with James Scully and Grace Victoria Cox as J.D. and Veronica.
No further plot details were released about the show, but it was promised that it would be a "cinematic, surprising, and twisted" take that would stand on its own legs, while making nods to the original. Typically, these adaptations can go either way, with M.A.S.H on one hand and Limitless _on the other. We'll have to wait and see how it works out for _Heathers, but these more inclusive changes are worth paying attention to.
Heathers is set to premiere in the fall of 2017 so keep checking in with CinemaBlend for plenty of more updates. In the meantime, take a gander at out 2017 midseason guide, to learn which shows are coming back this season.
