Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, the writing team behind the hit HBO/BBC series Industry, have revived Patrick Macnee's debonair secret agent John Steed and his glamorous sidekicks. Sex Education director Ben Taylor is also a co-creator. Taylor will direct and executive produce the series.
There were rumors that the project was under consideration by HBO, but this was denied last year. It's unclear where The Avengers reboot will end up. StudioCanal declined to comment while discussions are ongoing.
The cult series launched in 1961 and ran for six seasons on ITV and later ABC in the US, where it was one of the first British series to be bought for primetime by an American network.
Macnee starred as Steed, who fought diabolical plots against the state with his trademark bowler hat and umbrella. He had a series of high-fashion assistants played by Diana Rigg and Honor Blackman. They were a breakthrough because they were Steed's equal, holding their own in fights and making playful jokes.
Known for its glamour, surrealism and often fantasy, the series became an escapist adventure for millions of viewers, combining the spy trophies of James Bond with the science fiction elements of Doctor Who (1963).
The Avengers was remade into a film in 1998 starring Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman. It was an infamous flop that was panned by critics and failed to meet its $60 million budget.
Since then, there have been other attempts to revive the brand. Iron Man 3 director Shane Black revealed in 2018 that he and writing partner Fred Dekker were writing a pilot for a Warner Bros. television series.
