Eight months ago, AMC Studios made a two-year first-look deal with bigbaldhead, the production company founded by The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus. Now word has come out that AMC and bigbaldhead are collaborating on the development of a television series based on Russ Meyer's 1965 cult classic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! This project has the full backing of the Meyer estate.
Starring Tura Satana, Lori Williams, Haji, Susan Bernard, Paul Trinka, Dennis Busch, and Stuart Lancaster, Meyer's film told the story of
sadistic go-go dancers Varla, Rosie, and Billie as they break free from the nightclub where they perform and race out to the desert to stir up a little mayhem. After karate expert Varla kills an innocent man, the voluptuous trio takes his girlfriend hostage as they attempt to wheedle a hidden fortune from a misogynistic old man and his muscle-bound, brain-damaged son.
Deadline hears that the TV show will keep the concept of a trio of badass go-go dancers going on a cash-fueled rampage through the desert and pay homage to the original film, but also "go beyond the fast cars and karate kicks to home in on the strong female characters and the overturning of cultural norms that was deeper in the bones of the movie".
Reedus had this to say about the project:
I’ve been watching Russ Meyer’s film since I was a kid, wearing my Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! shirt to school. It’s safe to say I’m beyond inspired by Russ’ style of filmmaking and I am over the moon excited for the opportunity to reimagine this story for the modern world."
Reedus will be executive producing the show with bigbaldhead's JoAnne Colonna and Amanda Verdon, as well as Janice Cowart, sole trustee of the Russ Meyer Charitable Trust.
Cowart said:
I hit it off with bigbaldhead right away. I am convinced this team is special and can be entrusted to honor Russ Meyer’s iconic film. I am more than excited to collaborate with them alongside AMC."
I first saw Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! on the night of October 20, 2006, when it was shown on TCM as part of the TCM Underground series hosted by Rob Zombie. Instantly won over by the film's drive-in / grindhouse era charms, I went online and purchased a DVD copy the next day. It's tough to imagine this being turned into a modern TV show, but I'm curious to see how it turns out.
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