Neal Purvis & Robert Wade, screenwriters of the last several Bond films including SKYFALL, stepped away from the iconic spy series but look to be on their way to rebooting another. Both writers will begin working on a big screen KOJAK movie that will star Vin Diesel.
Deadline does not have much detail aside from the fact the story will be updated for a contemporary setting. I would think with Diesel’s association with the FAST AND FURIOUS and RIDDICK franchises that KOJAK is going to aim for more of a Bourne or Bond feel rather than Columbo or Matlock.
The original KOJAK starred Telly Savalas, himself associated with the Bond series where he portrayed Blofeld. Savalas played the tough and incorruptible Lieutenant Theodore Kojak, a bald, dapper, New York City policeman, who was fond of Tootsie Roll Pops and using the catchphrase, “Who loves ya, baby?” Kojak was stubborn and tenacious in his investigation of crimes—and also displayed a dark, cynical wit, along with a tendency to bend the rules if it brought a criminal to justice.
Savalas and Diesel do not share much else in common aside from their bald heads. KOJAK was rebooted once before as a basic cable series starring Ving Rhames that only aired for one season. I think this will really depend on the director fitting the material, but I also think if they kept the story set in the 1970s it might work a little better.
There are no set production or release dates yet for KOJAK.
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