The studio hoping to bring Johnny 5 alive on the big screen again has found a new director for its remake of the 1986 film, and is moving ahead with plans to reacquaint audiences with the film’s robotic hero.
According to Deadline, Dimension Films has chosen Alvin & The Chipmunks and Hop director Tim Hill to remake the classic ’80s film about an experimental military robot that becomes sentient when it’s struck by lightning during a training mission. When it becomes apparent that his newfound intelligence and emotions are more than just a hardware glitch, Johnny 5 and his adopted family must flee the military forces trying to bring him in for deprogramming.
A remake of the film has been in the works for several years now with little progress made toward bringing it to the screen. Dimension bought the rights to the project back in 2009, and had Paul Blart: Mall Cop filmmaker Steve Carr attached to direct.
According to today’s report, Hill will likely oversee a new script, with original Short Circuit producer David Foster co-producing the remake.
The success of the original Short Circuit spawned a sequel as well as plans for a third film, but the latter project was eventually scrapped. Back when Dimension originally optioned the Short Circuit film rights, it was rumored that the new film would involve a young boy befriending Johnny 5, though it’s uncertain whether that story will factor into the upcoming remake.
