‘Fast & Furious’ Director Justin Lin Hired to Direct ‘Magnum P.I.’ Pilot

CBS made waves in January when it announced it was rebooting one of its classic ’80s shows, Magnum P.I., for its Fall 2018 television lineup. And based on a report from The Wrap, the show just landed a big name to direct its pilot.

Justin Lin, director of four movies in the Fast and the Furious franchise, will be at the helm for the series opener as fans meet Thomas Magnum, a former solider turned private investigator who solves crimes in Hawaii.

The reboot’s showrunners are Peter Lenkov and Eric Guggenheim, who helped revive Hawaii Five-0 and MacGyver for the network.

Lin’s filmography includes The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6, and Star Trek: Beyond. His television directing experience includes three episodes for Community, the pilot episodes of Scorpion and S.W.A.T. and a pair of episodes of True Detective.

Magnum P.I. originally ran from eight seasons and 162 episodes from 1980-88, with future Blue Bloods actor Tom Selleck as the titular character.

Deadline reported back on Feb. 2 that the network is looking for a more diverse cast for both the Magnum P.I. and Cagney and Lacey reboots, with non-white actors being heavily considered to lead both shows.

“I hear CBS‘ intention is to pursue a non-white actor for the title character in its Magnum P.I reboot, a role originally played by Tom Selleck,” Deadline reporter Nellie Andreeva wrote. “Additionally, I hear Lacey in CBS‘ reboot of Cagney & Lacey, also is likely to be non-white. The character was written in the pilot script as a woman of color, sources say.”

Fans have already been against the idea of a reboot on social media, knocking the network both for reviving two more shows and for trying to cast anyone other than Selleck to play his iconic role.

Magnum P.I.’s premiere date has yet to be announced. Along with this pilot, Lin has already been tapped to direct the next two installments in the Fast & Furious franchise, scheduled for 2020 and 2021 along with a film on the popular toy Hot Wheels and the sequel to Space Jam.