* Cue Inner Circle's "Bad Boys" track *
Earlier today, Deadline Hollywood exclusively reported that a BAD BOYS spinoff TV series project starring Gabrielle Union has been secured by NBC, with a pilot production commitment. The deal comes after several networks vied against one another for the rights to the buddy cop-related action comedy.
The spinoff TV series will focus on Special Agent Syd Burnett, who was played by Gabrielle Union in Michael Bay's BAD BOYS II (2003). For the series, Burnett will be re-locating from Miami to Los Angeles. The property was recently secured by Sony TV via Jerry Bruckheimer TV and Doug Belgrad via his 2.0 Entertainment and Primary Wave Entertainment banners.
The yet-to-be titled spinoff action program will be penned by BLACKLIST writer/producers Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier. Syd Burnett, who was last seen in Miami taking down a nefarious drug cartel, is now an LAPD detective and can pursue all the pleasures Los Angeles has to offer and leave her past behind. But things will get dodgy when her new partner, Nancy McKenna, learns that Syd’s unforgiving lifestyle might be hiding more than a few skeletons in her closeted past. In the film series, Syd is the sister of Detective Lieutenant Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) and was romantically entangled with Marcus' partner, Detective Lieutenant Mike Lowrey (Will Smith).
The acquisition of the BAD BOYS property marks a big win for NBC, as the show is set to become the first broadcast development season since the company ushered in former NBC Universal TV Entertainment chairman Jeff Gaspin as President. Obviously, NBC is hoping for big things from the new series, and casting Gabrielle Union sounds as if it's just the beginning of a promising project to come.