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Roger Moore's The Saint to be remade by the UK's ITV

JCRendleJCRendle
edited February 2015 in Actors Posts: 1,552
http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-02-24/itv-to-resurrect-classic-tv-drama-the-saint
 
The Saint – otherwise known as the Saville Row-clad righter-of-wrongs Simon Templar – is to be reborn.
An ITV pilot will revive the scourge of international bad guys, originally invented by Leslie Charteris and played from 1962 to 1969 by Roger Moore before he became James Bond.
In fact, the pilot episode should be ready to film next year, says Ed Whitmore who is writing the new drama with Chris Lunt – the writer behind the John Simm drama Prey.

Comments

  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    Posts: 3,675
    Any word on who will be cast as Simon?
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    I'd love to see The Saint back on TV . =D>
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Can't wait. They need a good actor for the role though. Maybe someone who can transition into Bond eventually :)
  • RogueAgentRogueAgent
    Posts: 12,526
    Be interesting to see how they attempt to reinvent this?
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978


    Cue sad trombone. Maybe this one will fare better.
  • JCRendleJCRendle
    Posts: 1,552
    Nothing mentioned in the article on cast etc. I think they're in the early stages of Pre-production
  • M_BaljeM_Balje Amsterdam, Netherlands
    edited February 2015 Posts: 4,520
    Casting idea. He wil turn 24 this year, but it take a whyle before this going to be made.
    Roger Moore whas 35, but those days some people look older already.

    936full-toby-regbo.jpgsomeday2.jpg
    Toby Regbo http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2269396/

    He playing the younger version of Albus Dumbledore (Dutch: Perkamentus) in Harry Potter 7.

    st.jpggiphy.gif
    Roger Moore vs Toby Regbo
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    The child has potential.......in a few years.
  • JCRendleJCRendle
    Posts: 1,552
    http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/feature/a631471/12-actors-who-could-play-the-saint-in-itvs-new-series.html
  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    JCRendle wrote: »
    http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/feature/a631471/12-actors-who-could-play-the-saint-in-itvs-new-series.html

    Why do we need the a coloured man in the traditional role of Simon Templar, like with 007 I find the idea not to my liking and it will probably not work either. It has proven hard enough to get the Saint back on any screen so what use is it to annoy the sh&t out of its true fans?

  • DRush76DRush76
    Posts: 533
    JCRendle wrote:
    http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-02-24/itv-to-resurrect-classic-tv-drama-the-saint
     
    The Saint – otherwise known as the Saville Row-clad righter-of-wrongs Simon Templar – is to be reborn.
    An ITV pilot will revive the scourge of international bad guys, originally invented by Leslie Charteris and played from 1962 to 1969 by Roger Moore before he became James Bond.
    In fact, the pilot episode should be ready to film next year, says Ed Whitmore who is writing the new drama with Chris Lunt – the writer behind the John Simm drama Prey.


    Again? There were four actors who portrayed Simon Templar before Moore (including Louis Hayward and George Sanders). And there were seven actors who portrayed the actor after Moore (most memorably, Ian Ogilvy). So, who's next?


    Why do we need the a coloured man in the traditional role of Simon Templar, like with 007 I find the idea not to my liking and it will probably not work either.

    "Coloured man"? Are we still in the mid 20th century? As for a black man portraying Templar . . . why not? A black man is now portraying Nick Fury. A white woman is portraying a ethnically mixed character like Maria Hill.
  • HoppyUniatzHoppyUniatz
    Posts: 27
    DRush76 wrote: »

    Again? There were four actors who portrayed Simon Templar before Moore (including Louis Hayward and George Sanders). And there were seven actors who portrayed the actor after Moore (most memorably, Ian Ogilvy). So, who's next?
    Actually Roger was the seventeenth person to portray the Saint and young Mr Rayner was the twenty-seventh...
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    edited August 2015 Posts: 15,423
    DRush76 wrote: »
    Why do we need the a coloured man in the traditional role of Simon Templar, like with 007 I find the idea not to my liking and it will probably not work either.

    "Coloured man"? Are we still in the mid 20th century? As for a black man portraying Templar . . . why not? A black man is now portraying Nick Fury. A white woman is portraying a ethnically mixed character like Maria Hill.

    I don't mean to spark a flame to a controversial subject, but I don't see a slight bit of relevance in changing the character's heritage. Nick Fury is explained in the comics for why he was African-American, he actually is the son of the original Nick Fury. His real name is revealed to be Marcus Johnson, who happened to be adopting his supposedly ancestral name, becoming 'Nick Fury Jr.' For more information, see this article.

    As for Maria Hill, she completely bears the Caucasian heritage if you look at her drawn outlines and has only been said to have had relation to a fictional Asian territory, not that she's completely of that country and not to mention, heritage. She is a Chicago-born American.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited August 2015 Posts: 18,281
    HoppyUniatz wrote: »
    DRush76 wrote: »

    Again? There were four actors who portrayed Simon Templar before Moore (including Louis Hayward and George Sanders). And there were seven actors who portrayed the actor after Moore (most memorably, Ian Ogilvy). So, who's next?
    Actually Roger was the seventeenth person to portray the Saint and young Mr Rayner was the twenty-seventh...

    Factoid of the Week     there I think.

    I know that Vincent Price played The Saint on the radio too.
  • HoppyUniatzHoppyUniatz
    Posts: 27
    Just in case folks here are interested: https://t.co/cCiyoyfxYr
  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    HoppyUniatz wrote: »
    Just in case folks here are interested: https://t.co/cCiyoyfxYr

    Excellent news Ian, I myself all already inquiring if ordering a copy is possible. Liked your "The Saint on the Radio".

  • fanbond123fanbond123
    Posts: 1,661
    Some of those actors on that Digital Spy list remind me of the lists about a new Bond... some may be a bit too old. If the new ITV show happens they'll probably go with a young newcomer.
  • mepal1mepal1
    Posts: 1,098
    If its a well conceived remake.............then the show could be very popular.
    Though i didnt think too much of the 'Return of the Saint' in the 1970's with Ian Ogilvy.

    ...........but with all these bleedin reality shows on TV nowadays, wouldn't it be refreshing to have another action/drama series on TV.

    Incidently, when i was a young lad in 1969, my father nearly moved us to a house next door to Leslie Charteris in Englefield Green, Surrey!
  • patbpatb
    Posts: 4,617
    Bond and Saint reference in one:
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    :)) I remember first watching that.
  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    I found Moore's Saint at times great, but Ian Ogilvy's reboot was a far more realistic series that brought some brilliant episodes and great location work which in the Moore series was somewhat poor.
    Weren't it for the stupid and ill advised movie with the name of "raise the Titanic" the series would have undoubtedly have more seasons than the two we got. They scraped the show due to money problems of the producers who made a totally shite movie.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Well, it was The Saint's nature to be unrealistic as much as it required. I mean, the Roger Moore series are completely down to earth compared to the series of books written by Leslie Charteris. Templar in the novels would just show up in the beginning at the villain's lair, tell them that he will beat them at a specified date and disappear. The rest is history. Did Roger Moore's Saint do that?

    Personally, I am not fond of Ogilvy's series, either.
  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    I love the Early Leslie Charteris novels and while I love Roger Moore I truly enjoy the George Sanders movies and the Ogilvy series which was way too short for any Saint fan.
  • SzonanaSzonana Mexico
    Posts: 1,130
    bondjames wrote: »
    Can't wait. They need a good actor for the role though. Maybe someone who can transition into Bond eventually :)

    Those were exactly my thoughts bring back the Saint so can latter be the next Bond.

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