If there’s one thing Hollywood loves – aside from superheroes and Dwayne Johnson – it’s franchise-building and name recognition. As the line between TV and film becomes more and more blurry, studios have taken it upon themselves to create TV shows inspired by some of Hollywood’s most iconic films. While some of these series only share a name, others share some fundamental DNA with the movies that inspire them. If new rumors are to be believed, then CBS' upcoming Training Day series may soon acquire one vital element from the 2001 film of the same name: Ethan Hawke.
Ethan Hawke is reportedly currently in talks to reprise his role of Jake Hoyt in the upcoming Training Day series. No definitive conclusions have been reached regarding his decision, according to Deadline, but if he chooses to come back to the series, it will be in a recurring role. Antoine Fuqua, director of Training Day, is playing a key role in the development of the series, so his involvement could be enough to convince Hawke to sign on to the project.
The overall plot for the upcoming series revolves around a young African-American rookie police officer named Kyle, and as the series progresses, Kyle’s mission becomes infiltrating a unit led by a corrupt, more seasoned officer. As the pilot was originally written, this officer would have actually been Jake Hoyt himself, spiritually following in the footsteps of Denzel Washington’s Alonzo Harris by becoming a corrupt officer of the law. Based on what we know at this point, it looks as though Hawke's potential return won’t be as a member of the main cast; so while Jake Hoyt may appear, it won’t be as the central antagonist of the series.
But maybe he could mess someone's day up by getting them all trashed on PCP against their will.
This sort of practice has become more and more common in recent years. Hollywood actors known for their work on the silver screen have shown increasing willingness to lend some of their more iconic personas to TV shows adapted from their own resume. We’ve seen Samuel L. Jackson make appearances on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D as Nick Fury, and Bradley Cooper returned to the world of Limitless on CBS – both in reduced but still relevant roles. None of this necessarily guarantees that Ethan Hawke will make the same decision and reprise his role as Jake Hoyt, but it does point towards a historical precedent for the practice.
We will bring you more information concerning the upcoming Training Day TV series – as well as Ethan Hawke’s potential involvement in the project – as it becomes available to us.
