Original ‘Baywatch’ Is Being Remastered For HD & There Is The Possibility Of A TV Series Reboot…
One way or another, FremantleMedia is pretty determined to bring ‘Baywatch’ back to tv. That might be the original series remastered in glorious HD, or it could also include a brand new show.
According to Deadline who first reported the story, FremantleMedia International, who owns the original ‘Baywatch’ series, has been hard at work remastering all 242 episodes into high-definition from the original 35MM prints, along with converting it to widescreen format and adding in some more up-to-date music. Don’t panic though. Although they have replaced 300 songs, the “original” theme tune will stay… And by “original” we presume they mean ‘I’m Always Here’ by Jimi Jamison of Survivor, not ‘Save Me’ by Peter Cetera, which, technically, was the original theme tune in Season 1.
“The results are phenomenal,” commented Bob McCourt, FremantleMedia COO. “When you have the sea and obviously it’s set on the beach, it was such a colourful series, so that colour really comes out when you put it into HD.”
The reason for the remastering now is partly due to FremantleMedia finally having all the rights under one roof. Season 1 of ‘Baywatch’ was an NBC show, but they cancelled it. However, star David Hasselhoff, along with the execs, were not ready to let go. They managed to revive the show through syndication via All American Television in the US, and a deal with German distributor Beta Taurus internationally. This led to the international rights being held by Beta Taurus whilst All American Television (now part of FremantleMedia) had the US right. Now FremantleMedia has managed to get the global rights all back under their control.
McCourt goes on to say that they hoped the recent movie reboot, starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron, might have led to a new series, but after it got mixed reviews, things stalled. However, if the remastered series sells well, a new show could be on the cards. “I think if this remastered version is sold extensively and a new audience comes to Baywatch, then it will give us a real indication as to whether a new series could be successful. We would definitely think seriously about making a new series and maybe we’ll get approached by some broadcasters about making one,” he added.
We’ll let you know if we hear of remastered original ‘Baywatch’, or a new show, landing somewhere in the UK.
