According to E!Online, "Battlestar Galactica" executive producer David Eick and "Alexander" writer Laeta Kalogridis are developing a "contemporary" version of "The Bionic Woman" for NBC Universal Television Studio.
Apparently, the critical and ratings success of "Battlestar" (which airs on the SciFi Channel, a division of NBC/Universal) prompted Eick to look for another series in the Universal vault to "redesign."
"The Bionic Woman" is it, but can he make it better than it was before?
The original "Bionic Woman" was a spin-off the "The Six Million Dollar Man" that starred Lindsay Wagner as tennis pro Jamie Sommers, who was literally put back together after a sky-diving accident with the help of a crap load of government funding and a lot of fancy bionics (hence, the series' title). She used her new abilities -- super-speedy legs, ultra-strong arm, and hyper hearing -- to fight crime.
Eick's "redesign" will be very different, though. "It's a complete reconceptualization of the title," Eick told Daily Variety, saying that their heroine won't necessarily be fighting high-concept crime. "We're using the title as a starting point, and that's all…It's using the idea of artificial technology as a metaphor for what contemporary women sometimes feel is necessary to do everything that needs to be done."
Oookkkaaay. Then why reference the original series? For the "reimagined" "Battlestar," things have worked well because it has an army of characters (both human and Cylon) that can drive the plot. Using artificial technology as a metaphor? That's all well and good but is it necessary to dust off old technology to do it?
I won't poo-poo the redesign too much yet, though. I was a naysayer when Eick and Ron Moore relauched "Battlestar" ... at first. I had been a die-hard fan of the original. As a kid I even laughed in the face of death to play with the later recalled Mattel Colonial Viper and Cylon Raider with the spring-loaded firing missiles. Oh yes. So when the "Battlestar" mini-series aired in 2003 I was less than thrilled. It only took a couple of episodes for it to really grow on me, though. Now I think - as many do - that it's one of the best shows on television.
So... am I skeptical of a new "Bionic Woman"? Yes. Will I give it a shot? Yes. If anyone can pull it off, I think David Eick can. --Shannon Nolley