Hold your horses, MGM+ is riding into familiar territory with a fresh eight-episode television remake of the 1960 western classic The Magnificent Seven, bringing the gunslingers back once more, according to THR.
Originally directed by John Sturges and itself a reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, the original film starred the likes of Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, and James Coburn.
The Magnificent Seven synopsis reads: “After a peaceful Quaker village is massacred by mercenaries working for a greedy and ruthless land baron trying to force them off the land he covets, seven gifted but flawed mercenaries are hired by the community to protect them from the land baron’s hired guns. But as the team embeds itself in the community, preparing to defend them against overwhelming odds, they are all forced to grapple with an essential question: is the use of violence acceptable to defend a people whose faith is based on non-violence?”
This isn’t the first return to the frontier. A short-lived CBS adaptation aired from 1998 to 2000, and Fuqua’s 2016 cinematic reboot brought together Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Ethan Hawke for a stylish retelling. With no cast announced yet, the series also carries the potential to elevate new faces, just as the original launched the careers of its cast.
The remake already boasts serious lineage. Tim Kring, best known for Heroes, leads as showrunner and executive producer. He’s joined by Lawrence Mirisch, son of Walter Mirisch, producer of the original 1960 film, and Bruce Kaufman. The generational connection between the old and new carries symbolic weight, especially with the original film having been selected for preservation by the U.S. Library of Congress.
MGM+ head Michael Wright said in a statement, “Tim Kring is a master storyteller. Tim, Donald De Line, Larry Mirisch and Bruce Kaufman have crafted a series that delivers the energy of a classic western, honors the legacy of the original film, and reasserts its timeless themes of the power of unity against oppression and flawed heroes finding redemption by helping those who can’t help themselves.”
Whether this new version finds its place among the legends or fades into the dust like others before it, one thing’s clear: there’s still something enduring in the call to stand up when others can’t. If done right, The Magnificent Seven could once again ride tall, reminding viewers why this story keeps coming back.
Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, and anime — you name it. When she’s not reading or being a dedicated cinephile, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of Caleb from Love and Deepspace.
Kevin Low
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