CBS has been putting together a rebooted version of MacGyver that should be a lot like the classic, but with a few big changes. One of those changes happens to be the age of the lead. We knew CBS’ MacGyver project would feature a young man in his twenties, and it looks as if the network wanted to find someone who looks even younger than his actual age. X-Men franchise actor Lucas Till has landed the role.
Alright, so Till is 25 at this point and looking a little older than in his days on Hannah Montana: The Movie, but he’s still a decade younger than Richard Dean Anderson was when he started playing MacGyver back in 1985. Plus, while no one is going around accusing Richard Dean Anderson of looking younger than he actually is, the same cannot be said of Lucas Till. The real question relates less to his age and relates more to how he can pull off the MacGyver character, however.
The reboot is going to have other differences, too. THR is noting that it’s more of a "reimagining" than a straight reboot. Till’s character, MacGyver, will be asked to join a sort of secret society. There he will use the same sort of talents we’ve come to know and love from the original series so that bad things are kept from happening. Word is still out if this more youthful MacGyver will be able to use more than just a cable or other ordinary objects to solve complex problems. We do live in the age of the smart phone, after all.
MacGyver has been moving forward at CBS for a while, and should be getting off the ground soon. Lucas Till’s big upcoming film project, X-Men: Apolocalypse has already been filmed, so he should have time to work on the MacGyver pilot shortly. While CBS has retained Henry Winkler, James Wan and Michael Clear as executive producers, a lot has changed since last we wrote on MacGyver. Notably, writer Paul Downs Colaizzo is writing the script for the pilot.
About a year ago, we also learned that a "Next MacGyver" project looking to star a female lead was also in the works. If CBS’ MacGyver moves forward to series, that project will beat the female-oriented project to the punchline.
The news comes just as a new reimagining of Nancy Drew that’s practically nothing like the original is also in the works at CBS. We’ll let you know if either of these projects actually turn out to be halfway decent and make it to the air next TV season. Usually the networks make decisions about what new projects will join the lineup next season in May.
