‘Charlie’s Angels’ Reboot in the Works

Sixteen years after the film Charlie’s Angels was released, the iconic story is making a comeback. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a new film is in the works. 

The 2000 film starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu was an adaptation from the popular 1970s series. The series starred Jaclyn Smith, Kate Jackson, and Farrah Fawcett from 1976 to 1981.

Airing on ABC, Charlie’s Angels follows the crime-fighting adventures of three women working at a private detective agency in Los Angeles, California. John Forsythe provided the voice of their boss, the unseen Charlie Townsend, who directed the crime-fighting operations of the “Angels” via a speakerphone.

Sony Pictures made the film. The same studio is now reviving that franchise. THR reports the studio is developing a new feature version of and has hired Pete Chiarelli, known for the Ryan Reynolds-Sandra Bullock romantic comedy The Proposal and the film Crazy Rich Asians to pen the script.

Barrymore’s Flower Films banner, which was responsible for the first big-screen film version, is rumored to be part of the new film. The movie was a blockbuster, grossing $264.1 million worldwide. A sequel, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, was released in 2003.

This isn’t the first time the story has tried to return. A television series was attempted in 2011, but it only lasted seven episodes. Also airing on ABC as the original series, the revived show was met with critically poor reception and low ratings. THR reported at the time television critic Tim Goodman wrote a scathing review, saying, “It’s beyond heinous. It contains some of the worst acting of the last decade on network television, much of it by Minka Kelly.” 

Sony tried to relaunch the movie franchise in 2019 with a feature directed by Elizabeth Banks and starring Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska. It was a flop at the box office.