The long-gestating Tremors reboot, headlined by original star Kevin Bacon, is a go. Syfy has given a pilot order to the project from Universal Cable Productions and Blumhouse Television, with Bacon reprising his role from the 1990 cult classic film.
In the new Tremors written by Andrew Miller (The Secret Circle), the killer Graboid worms that nearly destroyed Perfection, NV, 25 years ago are back, and the town’s only hope for survival is Valentine McKee (Bacon), who beat them once. But to do it again he’ll have to overcome age, alcohol and a delusional hero complex.
Miller, who serves as showrunner, executive produces along with Bacon, David Schiff (Southpaw) and Jessica Rhoades.
“This is the only character I’ve played that I’ve ever thought about revisiting. I just got to thinking, ‘Where would this guy end up after 25 years?’ ” said Bacon. “Andrew Miller has a fantastic take on it, and we hope to create a show that will be fun and scary for fans of the movie and folks that have yet to discover it. Let’s kick some Graboid ass!”
Bacon signaled his interest in revisiting Tremors in a May 2015 interview. He teamed with Miller, Blumhouse and UCP for a reboot series later that year, and Syfy was considered a likely network home.
“We are so pleased to continue our partnership with Syfy and UCP in reviving this cult classic with none other than Kevin Bacon as Valentine McKee. We look forward to thrilling original fans and new audiences alike,” said Jason Blum, who also has the high-profile Purge series at UCP, which will be shared by Syfy and USA Network.
The 1990 film from Universal Pictures, directed by Ron Underwood and also starring Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross and Reba McEntire, grossed a modest $16.6 million domestically but developed a cult following. It spawned a previous TV spinoff, Tremors: The Series, which aired for one season in 2003 on then-Sci-Fi Channel.