Nic Pizzolatto Working on ‘Magnificent Seven’ TV Series at Amazon

“The Magnificent Seven” and its tale of gunslingers and bandits may not be over. Sources are saying that a TV series based on the classic Western is currently in the works with “True Detective” creator Nic Pizzolatto attached to the project.

Pizzolatto co-wrote the original action film alongside Richard Wenk. This new project will be a series adaptation of the MGM title, which originally premiered in 1960 and was remade in 2016. At the moment, it is in development and has a series commitment penalty attached; it will be produced as an Amazon Studios original, TheWrap has confirmed.

Last month, TheWrap reported that Pizzolatto was partnering with Amazon to release an as-yet title series.

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The news comes at the heels of reports that Amazon has been searching for its own “Yellowstone,” Paramount’s wildly successful Western drama. “The Magnificent Seven” will center on a former outlaw who struggles to make peace with a remaining threat from his past as he protects his new life and family from his crime-filled past. As this hero’s journey combines both danger and romance, “the series embraces the ensemble found in traditional Westerns as eccentric figures unite to help him on his quest.”

Pizzolatto is set to write, direct and executive produce the drama alongside Mark Johnson (“Better Call Saul,” “Breaking Bad”), who was involved with the original idea. Additionally, Lawrence Mirisch, son of the the original film’s exec producer Walter Mirisch, and Bruce Kaufman will executive produce.

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More and more, legacy studios have been returning to successful IP for new series. Just this spring, Paramount+ debuted a “Grease” prequel series, and a “Fatal Attraction” reimagining is forthcoming. “The Magnificent Seven” series follows in the same vein. Originally a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 “Seven Samurai,” the 1960 version of “Magnificent Seven” was a critical and commercial success. It’s been hailed as one of the best Westerns of all time and even spawned an original TV series in the late 1990s, airing from ’98 to 2000.

Today’s audiences will likely better remember director Antoine Fuqua’s take on the property in 2016. Starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Lee Byung-hun, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Peter Sarsgaard and Haley Bennett, the movie follows a small town that threatens to have its way of life disrupted by Bartholomew Bogue (Sarsgaard). Led by bounty hunter Sam Chisolm (Washington), a team of seven mercenaries suddenly find themselves on the precipice of one of the biggest duels of their lives. The remake received mixed reviews but made $162 million worldwide against a budget of $90 million.

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