The film to TV craze has officially gotten out of hand.
Variety is reporting that Fox is developing the 1980 movie Urban Cowboy as a potential companion series for Empire. The Urban Cowboy film was directed by James Bridges from a story he wrote with Aaron Latham.
Urban Cowboy was notably the third professional acting job of John Travolta’s career. Travolta played Bud, opposite Debra Winger’s Sissy. Basically, most of the movie revolves around them getting together and breaking up and getting back together while spending most of their time at a bar called Gilley’s, a place where Honky Tonk and mechanical bulls are popular.
Craig Brewer is attached to write and possibly direct the pilot episode of Urban Cowboy, which will reportedly keep the focus on Bud and Sissy as they “pursue their dreams and passions through the dust of the rodeo, the grime of the oil refineries, the sweat of line-dancing in honky tonks and the glamour of modern Texas.”
Even for TV executives, this decision makes no sense. Urban Cowboy is a 35 year old film that is barely remembered by viewers who were alive at the time. As a brand, Urban Cowboy has far less appeal to potential viewers than Minority Report, Uncle Buck, Limitless and Rush Hour, all of which were ordered to series earlier this month.
Can an Urban Cowboy update really become a viable companion series for one of the most popular shows on television? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
