Vin Diesel Keeps Teasing Movie Version of Classic CBS Show

Vin Diesel won’t let up on a movie version of a classic CBS show.

The Fast and Furious actor is continuing to tease a potential reboot of the 1970s crime drama Kojak.

Created by Abby Mann, Kojak ran for five seasons from 1973 to 1978 and revolved around the titular NYPD Lieutenant Theophilus “Theo” Kojak, played by Telly Savalas. In 2012, Deadline reported that Neal Purvis and Robert Wade were tapped to write the script for a reimagining of the series for the big screen, with Diesel set to portray the cop and produce alongside Samantha Vincent for their One Race Films.

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While Variety reported in 2015 that playwright Philip Gawthorne was taking over as writer, not many details have been released. But that hasn’t stopped Diesel from holding on to it. In April 2024, the actor shared a video on Instagram, saying that the script for Kojak is “the best script.” Now, after all this time, it seems like it may finally be happening. Although Diesel is still teasing fans, he has a good reason to this time.

Diesel shared some photos to Instagram but in a since-deleted caption, said, “As you all know, I have refrained from making films with streamers in order to do my part, to protect the theatrical experience by living on the big screen.” He went on to say he bumped into friend and Oscar winner Zoe Saldaña to celebrate her Oscar at an event hosted by Netflix, and he thought about how others can learn from them and how they cherish their talent. Diesel also noted how he bumped into Amazon founder Jeff Bezos recently and teased him about how he asked fans for their opinion.

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“Something I have done for years… if this social medium does anything, it allows fans to be a part of the process. Bond huh?… Don’t sleep on Kojak…” It sounds like Kojak may become a streaming movie after all, but all Diesel changed the caption to was “Who loves ya, baby?…” Why he changed the caption is unknown, but he did share another Instagram with another photo of him alongside a much more suitable Kojak caption.

“One of the things I am most excited about, in the telling of a story, about that infamous New York Detective…” Diesel wrote, “Is the opportunity to share my perspective of New York and its unique history. Blessed.”

There still isn’t too much information about Kojak, but it seems to be finally moving forward. Fans have been waiting for over 10 years for the film, they can certainly wait a little bit longer.