Emmy nominee Gordon Smith may be bringing something unarmed, but dangerous to the screen. After his success in writing for Better Call Saul, Smith looks to be the creative force behind a series featuring Remo Williams, the hero of the ‘Destroyer‘ books, after Sony Pictures Television obtained the rights.
In the ‘Destroyer‘ books, written by Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir, Remo Williams was a ruff-and-gruff operative, presumed dead but very much alive, who kept the world safe since his first appearance in 1971 and then in over 150 ‘sequels’ or further adventures. The character first made the leap to the screen with 1985’s Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, directed by Guy Hamilton. The late Fred Ward played the title character with cantankerous assistance from his mentor, Chiun (Joel Grey in a key role that might be inscrutable, but also likely to be considered casually racist in more modern times). Though the title’s strapline was hopeful, the film became a cult hit rather than a financial success and no more cinematic follows-up received the greenlight.
However, Hollywood kept one eye on the property with an attempt into the mid-80s to launch a series (though only a pilot was made) and – more recently – there was talk of action-maestro Shane Black bringing a version to the screen (the concept seemingly very much in his usual wheelhouse). However it’s taken until now to actually kickstart something with the ‘cohesive and iconic international action/adventure universe‘.
