James Gunn’s Starsky & Hutch series lands at Amazon and won’t be a reboot

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Just last week it was announced that James Gunn (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2) was working on developing a reboot of 70's TV series Starsky & Hutch, and now, that project has found a home at Amazon, who has given the project a script-to-series commitment. What does that mean? Well, if Amazon takes a shine to the script when it comes in, they'll order the drama straight to series. The Starsky & Hutch project will be quite the Gunn family affair, with James Gunn's brother Brian Gunn and cousin Mark Gunn writing the script based on an idea James Gunn developed.

The upcoming drama, which will be a co-production between Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television Studios, will also NOT be a reboot or a remake, but rather "a continuation of the original series that would deconstruct the buddy cop show in a fun way." I'll let James Gunn himself take it from here. 

You may have just read the news that I’m doing a version of Starsky & Hutch over at Amazon, producing alongside Neal Moritz with Brian Gunn and Mark Gunn writing. Well…

When I was a kid, Starsky & Hutch was the first “adult” show I ever saw, and I fell in love. It instilled in me a lifelong love of gritty street shows, of killer 70’s threads, and muscle cars. So when Neal – the producer of the Fast and Furious franchise – asked me if I wanted to be a part of an all new Starsky and Hutch on TV, I was instantly intrigued.

So I considered it. For me, as so many of you know, I can’t become involved with something unless I really love and am committed to the project. So I started writing down some outlandish ideas for how we would handle Starsky and Hutch today – ideas that would be exciting and different and not at all what people expect. This would NOT be a reboot or a remake, but a continuation of the original series that would deconstruct the buddy cop show in a fun way. Like Guardians of the Galaxy did with the space opera, it would honor the genre while turning it inside-out. And it would definitely not be a spoof like the 2004 Starsky & Hutch movie – it would be gritty and driven by both characters and high stakes. I came up with a lot of wild ideas – things I can’t go into quite yet – but stuff that got me excited about the prospect of creating a TV show.

So I sent my ideas off to Neil and the guys and, instead of balking at the twists of it all, they fully embraced my vision and were excited by it. So Neil and I got the two writers I trusted most in the world to work with us, my brother Brian Gunn (co-creator of our PG-Porn web series) and my cousin Mark Gunn. They took my nascent ideas and ran with them, creating a complex storyline we’re all crazy about.

Out of all the places that wanted to finance the pilot script, we chose Amazon. At Amazon I believed we would have the most freedom to create something that is different, challenges the audience, and that strays outside the parameters of genre from time to time. I also have quite a few filmmaker friends who have been working with Amazon lately, and what sets them apart from most of the other friends I have working in TV is that they love them.

So, yes, I AM working on Starsky & Hutch for Amazon: I couldn’t be more excited, and I can’t wait for you guys to see what we come up with. Striped Tomato forever! Stay tuned!

Fans of the original TV series will likely be pleased to hear that James Gunn's take on Starsky & Hutch won't be going the same route as the feature-film version of the series which starred Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, but it's still a little early to guess exactly how Gunn plans on turning the genre inside out. Joe Lewis, Amazon's Head of Comedy, Drama, and VR, stated, "Chekhov said if you have a gun in the room, it's going to go off. We can't wait to see what three Gunns do with Starsky and Hutch." Should Amazon find the script to their liking and give the project a series order, it's also possible that James Gunn may direct the pilot episode, assuming he can find the time in his busy schedule.

What are your thoughts on this Starsky & Hutch revival?