Vin Diesel To Star As Detective In 'Kojak' (Photo : YouTube)
The star of "Fast And Furious" franchise, Vin Diesel, will be "kicking all kinds of ass" in the upcoming feature film remake of 1970s hit detective TV series "Kojak," said the newly hired scriptwriter Philip Gawthorne.
Gawthorne, who is best known for writing for British television shows like "Eastender," "Casualty,"and "Waterloo Road," was speaking with IGN when he revealed that the movie will explore old school versus new school police tactics, while the core essence of the lead character will remain the same.
The writer also declared that it is still a challenge to make the 1970s icon relevant to a 2016 audience. He, however, assured that the popular character, played by Telly Savalas in the TV series, will not lose his trademark charisma, street smartness and catchphrases in the upcoming movie.
Gawthorne also revealed that when he got the project to write for the movie adaptation of the popular detective series, he lapped himself with all the material available to rewatch and study the old episodes.
A fan of Diesel, the writerfeels that the "Furios 8" is perfect to play the iconic role. Since the 47-year-old actor is also co-producing the movie, he will be involved throughout the entire process of script development and post-production.
Gawthorne is not the first writer to work on "Kojak." Neil Purvis and Robert Wade of "Skyfall" fame had worked earlier with the project in 2012 and had developed it's previous draft, Cinema Blend reported.
The release date of "Kojak" is still not decided, but the movie is expected to hit the theatres by 2016 fall. Meanwhile, Diesel, who is said to have worked for years to get the "Kojak" movie off the groud, is busy with back to back assignments, including the 2017 film "Furious 8."
