New Movie Based on 50-Year-Old Action Franchise in Works at Sony

Sony Pictures has started work on a brand-new film tied to one of the most recognizable female-led action brands in entertainment history. If successful, it would be the latest one in a story that began on television in the 1970s and has seen multiple big-screen adaptations since.

A new Charlie’s Angels movie is in development

Sony is moving forward with another big screen take on Charlie’s Angels. The studio has tapped a writer with blockbuster credentials to handle the script. Pete Chiarelli, who co wrote the hit adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians and penned the romantic comedy The Proposal, will write the screenplay (via The Hollywood Reporter).

There is no official word yet on who will produce. However, chatter suggests Drew Barrymore may return through her Flower Films banner. Barrymore starred in and produced the first two movie adaptations around the turn of the century. Those films turned the franchise into a box office success. Sony has not commented on the project.

The original Charlie’s Angels television series ran on ABC from 1976 to 1981. It quickly became a cultural touchstone. Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith became household names. The concept was simple. Three talented women worked as private investigators for an unseen millionaire named Charlie Townsend. They communicated through a speakerphone while a middleman named Bosley handled operations.

Columbia Pictures, now under the Sony umbrella, turned the property into a film franchise in 2000. That version starred Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu, with McG directing. It grossed $264.1 million worldwide, a number closer to $493 million when adjusted for inflation. A sequel was released in 2003.

Television tried again in 2011 with a new series, but ABC pulled the plug after only seven episodes. Sony’s most recent attempt came in 2019 with Elizabeth Banks directing and starring Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska. That film reimagined the Townsend Agency as a global security firm but failed to connect with audiences, becoming a box office disappointment. Now, the new Charlie’s Angels movie remains in its earliest stages.

Source: Comingsoon.net