Chris Pratt in Early Talks to Star in Paramount’s Reboot of ‘The Saint’

Chris Pratt is in the earliest stages of talks to star in a reboot of The Saint, according to a report by Deadline.

Pratt has seen some massive success recently in franchises like Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World. Paramount Pictures has reportedly taken notice, and wants to get the actor on board for its own action endeavor.

The Saint goes all the way back to the 1920s, when it began as a series of novels written by Leslie Charteris. It was adapted for radio, then into a theatrical serial starring Louis Hayward and later George Sanders. They played Simon Templar, an international thief and adventurer with money to spare. Simon Templar is something of a modern Robin Hood figure, bringing the greedy to justice outside of the law.

Since then the franchise has gone through three more permutations. In the 1960s, it was made into a TV series that lasted six seasons. This version began on ITV in the United Kingdom and starred Roger Moore.

Paramount Pictures made its first attempt to reboot The Saint as a film franchise in 1997. It starred Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue, but its luke-warm reception put the franchise on hold for another 20 years.

Paramount gave the series another shot just last year, with another adaptation starring Adam Rayner and Eliza Dushku. This version was received even more poorly than the last, and currently has a 4.9 out of 10 rating on IMDb.

Still, something about The Saint has kept it alive for nearly 100 years, and Paramount apparently hopes that Pratt can revitalize it. The actor has a level of charm and star power that few people in Hollywood command at the moment, and just about anything he touches will likely turn to gold. At the same time, Paramount will essentially have to sell The Saint to audiences as a new property, since few are familiar with it or connected to it at the moment.

Hollywood is head over heels for reboots, revivals and adaptations at the moment, and one major reason is advertising. An existing intellectual property is infinitely easier to sell, since audiences already have a connection with it in their heads and hearts. AMC’s new head of programming, David Madden, recently explained this phenomenon to The Hollywood Reporter.

“It’s hard to get attention for anything,” he noted, “so when you have a title that bears meaning because it’s connected to a franchise or meaningful IP, why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of it?”

Check back for updates on Paramount’s potential reboot of The Saint.