Heathers TV Series In The Works?

Published on August 27, 2009 by Martyn Conterio · View Comments

Its been 20 years since Winona Ryder and Christian Slater starred in their break-out film Heathers – the best high school-set movie ever made. Its pitch-black, comedic tone and satirical swipes at everything from manufactured pop music to teenage sexuality along with a great cast of (at the time) bright young things ensured its cult-classic status.

There have been rumours and talk of a sequel for years without anything ever coming together. Now it seems executives at Sony and Lakeshore Entertainment are prepping a remake (or whatever new term they use for remakes without actually calling it such). Only the peculiar angle this time is its development as a television show. According to Variety, writers Mark Rizzo and Jenny Bicks are developing a “contemporary” take.

It would be pretty hard to top the surrealist approach used by director Michael Lehmann; let alone match the bitchy, comic-genius dialogue of writer Daniel Waters. The film is a masterpiece and does not need a remake of any kind. Adapting it to the television format seems particularly bizarre. However, such reasons and caveats have never stopped the studios before.

The murderous aspects of the film’s narrative surely would be uncomfortable to modern audiences used to news items of high school massacres…do they intend to ditch this part and turn it into a Mean Girls-style show? If so, that is not Heathers. With high schools now using security guards, CCTV and metal detectors – I’m not sure anybody could get away with JD-style plans to blow up the entire school these days.

Once again, Hollywood proves it is a dearth of creativity and originality by repacking old (albeit very good) ideas. Let’s just hope the project gets buried and audiences continue enjoying demented, hilarious and crazed romance of the original Heathers.