Hollywood brought back Baywatch in hopes of revitalizing the franchise for a new generation, and while few would call the film a raging success, it appears to have somewhat accomplished its goal. The effort inspired one organization to remaster the classic series as well as begin talks for a potential series reboot. Regardless of what happens there, David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson are coming back to televisions worldwide, and it's all thanks to FremantleMedia.
Fremantle's remaster of Baywatch was quite extensive, and involves more than just updating the series 242 episodes from a 4:3 to 16:9 ratio. Each episode will now be in high definition, and old songs from the show have been switched out with a more contemporary soundtrack to bring the program up to a more modern era. In total 300 songs were replaced, although purist fans will be happy to know the show's iconic theme song was untouched. The songs selected were done so with the help of the show's original composer Corey Lerios, so the assumption is the updated soundtrack won't deviate too far from the feel of the original series.
The remaster effort was also overseen by the series' original producers Michael Berk, Greg Bonann, and Doug Schwartz, who told Deadline the end result is "phenomenal," and the visual upgrade really shows how colorful Baywatch was. The producers believe these updates will help Baywatch gain fans from younger generations, as well as continue to grow its international audience. Apparently, Baywatch tends to do well internationally, especially in countries like Germany, Italy, and France. FremantleMedia plans to approach the international market as well as some streaming services in hopes of selling its remastered episodes.
Of course, all this talk about Baywatch remasters eventually leads to the discussion of a television-based reboot, which the original producers are not ruling out. FremantleMedia International COO Bob McCourt said that a television reboot was "definitely discussed" around the time the film was being made, but the film's mixed reviews put that conversation on the back burner. Having said that, McCourt said that if the remastered version of the series sells extremely well and pulls in a new audience like the producers are hoping, the odds of a television reboot are much better. Unfortunately, McCourt didn't offer any details on past discussions involving a Baywatch reboot, and if past stars such as David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson, or Jason Momoa were involved in any way.
As of writing, it is unknown how Americans will get to watch these remastered episodes of Baywatch. CinemaBlend will keep an eye out for updates, however, and continue to keep audiences afloat with the latest and most relevant television news. For a look at what shows are premiering in the coming months, head on over to our summer and fall premiere guides.
