Surf’s up. Again. AMC is paddling back out into familiar waters with a TV series based on ‘Point Break’, the iconic 1991 action film that somehow managed to combine bank robberies, FBI surveillance, extreme sports, spiritual awakening, and Gary Busey being Gary Busey.
The project is in development at AMC Studios, with David Kalstein attached to write and executive produce alongside Alcon Television Group. Deadline reports the network landed the series after a competitive situation, which suggests more than one exec looked at this and said, “What if prestige TV… but with surfing?”
Rather than a straight remake, this new take is set roughly 35 years after the events of the original film. The focus shifts to a dangerous modern-day heist crew with ties to the infamous Ex-Presidents gang, the masked surfer outlaws who robbed banks while chasing the perfect wave and an even more perfect adrenaline high.
The original Point Break, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, starred Keanu Reeves (John Wick) as rookie FBI agent Johnny Utah, who goes undercover among Southern California surfers and ends up falling under the spell of Patrick Swayze (Dirty Dancing) as the charismatic, philosophising Bodhi. It became a cult classic, endlessly quoted, endlessly parodied, and forever associated with skydiving without parachutes and the phrase “It’s not tragic to die doing what you love.”
Kalstein’s CV leans heavily into slick genre television. His previous credits include NCIS: Los Angeles, Quantico, and USA Network’s Treadstone, which he co-showran, along with Amazon’s Butterfly. Alcon, meanwhile, has history with the franchise, having produced the 2015 Point Break remake…
That remake is probably worth mentioning, if only as a cautionary tale. Released in 2015 with a new cast and an extreme sports escalation philosophy, it was… not beloved. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently sits at a bruising 11% approval rating based on 115 reviews, with the site’s critical consensus reading: “Loaded with dazzling action but bereft of purpose, the Point Break remake will be remembered as the first film to make audiences pine for the simultaneous presences of Keanu Reeves and Gary Busey.” Over on Metacritic, it scored 34 out of 100, indicating generally unfavourable reviews.
A Point Break series that leans into legacy, myth-making, and the uncomfortable question of what “freedom” looks like decades later could actually fit rather nicely into that mould. Whether this version captures the strange magic of the original, or just finds new and inventive ways to hurl beautiful people into the ocean at high speed, remains to be seen.
‘Point Break’ is currently classed as in development so may, or may not, make it to series. We’ll let you know when we hear more.
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