The cast and producers of the MacGyver 2016 reboot took the stage at San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday and gave the audience their first look at a contemporary MacGyver.
The original MacGyver ran from 1985 to 1992 and starred Richard Dean Anderson in the title role. The story was an adventure show that featured MacGyver being able to escape almost any situation by using his brain and the random items around him.
Of course, one of the biggest questions fans have is about the MacGyverisms in this new incarnation of the show. Peter Lenkov, series writer and producer, says the current tempo of the show has about two hacks per act averaging about 8 per episode. The expectation is to keep it around those numbers which were similar to the original show. Another thing to know about the hacks is that they can actually be done in real life, but the cast doesn’t suggest trying them out on your own.
Lenkov also said he would love to have Richard Dean Anderson on the new show. With so many reboots happening it isn’t unusual for original cast members to make an appearance in the reboot.
Lenkov and the cast want to honor the original show by keeping the roots of what it represented. This will not be a procedural show but more of an adventure where MacGyver and his team travel to a new location weekly. The episodes will be peppered with Easter eggs from the original as a way to keep the stories connected. They will bring back characters that you remember fondly, and the show will have the same spirit and soul of the original.
Lucas Till, who is playing MacGyver, will be rocking the iconic mullet. He describes Mac as a hero who makes mistakes and hates throwing a punch. George Eads, who is playing Mac’s sidekick Jack Dalton, chimed in that Mac doesn’t get mad — he gets upset. And when Mac gets upset, Jack gets angry.
Given that the original ended in the early 90’s there will be obvious differences in the shooting style and editing processes. James Wan is directing the pilot, which is still being shot, so the action sequences should be incredible. Wan’s film credits include Saw, Furious 7, Insidious, and The Conjuring.
One of the big questions asked was about the pressure of rebooting such a popular series. Lenkov said, “this is one of the shows people remember fondly and the challenge is entertaining people and proving it belongs on TV.”
Lucas Till, who will be playing the title character said, “I know that I do feel a lot of pressure, but I try to put it out of my mind and try to do my job. I leave the pressure up to Peter [Lenkov].”
Even though we didn’t see the pilot we did get a sizzle reel that introduced us to the characters and their roles in Mac’s life. We also got a brief look at an action scene where Mac runs down a moving airplane and jumps on under the landing gear. He quickly cuts a few wires as the plane ascends with a voice over from Mac about being afraid of heights. The plane is made to land and the girl on board isn’t happy. The clip looked really good and highlighted the playful banter between several of the characters.