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Amazon Developing New Takes For Robocop, Stargate, Legally Blonde & More MGM Properties
Amazon is looking to revisit several IPs that they acquired when they bought MGM, with new takes of Robocop, Stargate, Legally Blonde, and more being considered. Deadline reports that Amazon Studios are considering new takes on several properties in the the MGM library, which Amazon announced they were acquiring in 2021. The deal closed in March of last year and according to the report, the studio is looking at “about a dozen” initial titles to develop for film and/or TV including Robocop, Stargate, Legally Blonde, Fame, Barbershop, The Magnificent Seven, Pink Panther and The Thomas Crown Affair.
The report notes that every title is being approached differently, with some being considered for a new film and others toward TV. Some of the bigger properties are receiving treatments for both film and television. A-List creative talent have reportedly reached out to ask about adapting some that they are fans of, while Amazon Studio is drawing from its own talent roster for others.
Among those with both film and TV projects in consideration are Robocop, Stargate, and Legally Blonde. The studio is in active early talks for both a film and TV based on the Reese Whitherspoon-starring legal comedy. The report states that a film is likely first for Stargate, while a TV series may be first for Robocop.
Amazon is in active development for TV shows based on Fame, Barbershop and The Magnificent Seven, while there are talks for a Thomas Crown Affair movie and a Pink Panther movie. Sources said that the latter could be animated.
As of now, there are no plans for a James Bond series other than the reality competition series that was announced shortly after Amazon closed on the acquisition due to the fact that the franchise producers are focused on plans for the next film.
The report notes that the process of identifying IP out of MGM’s catalog for use has been “slow going,” in part because Amazon Studios wants to be careful about the process and rush in too quickly in a way that doesn’t respect the titles’ legacies. Another reason for the slow going has been the complexity regarding underlying rights issues, as MGM has had multiple owners throughout its history and different financing partners for many films.