So far it's indisputable that Phil Lord and Chris Miller have the magic touch for projects nobody expects to work. Whether it was their hit Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street and its sequel, or The Lego Movie, they've always found just the right angle to be successful. And now the duo are going to try and revive another '80s cult classic The Greatest American Hero for the small screen.
Deadline reports Lord and Miller will shepherd a new hour-long sitcom of The Greatest American Hero to broadcast on Fox. The duo will exec-produce alongside Cannell's daughter, Tawnia McKiernan, who also happens to be a TV director. Rodney Rothman, co-writer on 22 Jump Street, will exec-produce and write the scripts for the series. Like the original, which starred William Katt, Connie Sellecca, and Robert Culp, this one will follow a normal everyday teacher who bumbles through being a superhero when he loses the instructions to his super-suit. He'll also have a government handler who may not be on the up and up.
The Greatest American Hero ran from 1981-83 and I enjoyed it at the time, but then again I was like five years old and would have liked anything with superheroes in it. Obviously, not much has changed for me. But I did watch the show recently and it doesn't really hold up. However a new version is coming along at just the right time to be a hit. While the airwaves are flooded with comic book shows there aren't many that are straight-up comedies. I can see this having the same sort of appeal as Chuck had as they tell a similar type of story. At this point, The Greatest American Hero is probably best remembered for two things. One is its theme song "Believe it or Not" (I'm Walking on Air) which is often used in parodies because of how cheesy it is. And the second is the episode of Seinfeld when George Costanza uses said theme for his ridiculous purposes. Here's a taste of both.
