Director Peter Collinson’s famous 1969 heist film The Italian Job was already the subject of a 2003 remake by Straight Outta Compton and Fast 8 filmmaker F. Gary Gray, and now it will be the inspiration for an upcoming television series, too.
NBC is reportedly developing a series based on the original film and its remake that will revolve around a dangerous heist planned by a group of expert thieves. Ballers and Entourage writer Rob Weiss will team up with Benjamin Brand to pen the script for the series.
The original 1969 film cast Michael Caine as a thief who assembles a skilled team to steal $4 million in gold from an armored car in the Italian Alps. The remake starred Mark Wahlberg and moved the plot to Los Angeles but still retained the original film’s iconic Mini Cooper cars, which played an important — and memorable — role in both films.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, NBC’s television series will alter the story and feature “a makeshift family of expert criminals who are forced out of retirement when an opportunity arises to get their beloved ‘patriarch’ out of jail.'”
Donald De Line, who produced the 2003 remake, will also serve as a producer on the series.
The Italian Job is the latest movie to become the inspiration for an upcoming television series, with The Lost Boys, Varsity Blues, and Taken all in the process of being adapted for the small screen. NBC is also developing the Taken series, which explores the early years of Liam Neeson’s character in the three-film franchise. That TV series is expected to premiere later this year.
There’s currently no timetable for production to begin on The Italian Job series.
