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‘Urban Cowboy’ Remake Ordered to Pilot at Fox

The news comes a month after the network announced it was developing a new take on the John Travolta feature.

'Urban Cowboy' Remake Ordered to Pilot at Fox

Urban Cowboy - H 2015

Fox is moving forward with its Urban Cowboy remake.

The network has ordered the modern remake to pilot, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Hustle & Flow‘s Craig Brewer — who wrote and directed the 2011 Footloose remake — is attached to write, direct and executive produce the drama, which has received a script commitment at the network. Robert Evans, who produced the original feature, and HBO alum Sue Naegle also will executive produce the co-production between Paramount TV and 20th Century Fox Television. James Sikura will oversee for the Robert Evans Co. and co-executive produce. Chris Levinson also is attached to executive produce. 

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Fox’s Urban Cowboy is a modern reimagining of the classic 1980 Paramount romantic drama starring Debra Winger and John Travolta. Fueled with energetic music, it follows Kyle and Gaby, two star-crossed young lovers, as they pursue their dreams and passions through the sweat of line-dancing in honky-tonks, the grime of the oil refineries and the glamour of modern Texas. It’s about family legacies, starting over, finding true love and the American dream.

The original feature was released in June 1980 and grossed $47 million domestically. Fox has been high on soapy fare and recently passed over the dramedy Studio City, which many insiders had expected to go to series and serve as a companion piece for Empire.
 
“In the 35 years since I made the original Urban Cowboy, country music and the influence of Texas has gone stratospheric,” Evans said. “The timing could not be better to continue this story in the television world … And what an ace team of collaborators we have on board to make it happen.”
 
TV remakes have been high on broadcasters’ wish lists heading into the fall, as increased competition from streaming and cable networks have crowded the marketplace. Remakes come with known titles, built-in brand recognition and fan bases, making breaking through the clutter easier — and coming in with a leg up in terms of marketing. Key to a reboot is having the original producers involved, which Fox has with Paramount and Evans. For its part, Fox also has a reboot of Minority Report set to debut this fall.
 
Urban Cowboy becomes Fox’s second off-cycle pilot pickup. The network also is prepping Son of Zahn, an animated/live-action pilot presentation from Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

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