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Sir Roger Moore To Produce 'The Saint' TV Film

Original star now behind-the-camera on two-hour TV film

"The Saint" is marching back to television via a contemporary take on the Leslie Charteris' books, with James Purefoy in talks to topline as the debonair international thief Simon Templar.

Producers Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana, writer Jorge Zamacona, feature producer Bill Macdonald, Roger Moore -- who played Templar in the 1960s British series -- and his son Geoffrey Moore are all involved in the project.

Levinson is set to direct the two-hour TV movie/backdoor pilot, which will be produced independently and then shopped to the networks.

The project is backed by Nehst Studios, a financing, production and distribution company that recently partnered with Lexicon Filmed Entertainment to share $250 million from private-equity sources to finance features, TV series and Web series.

Macdonald has been associated with "Saint" on and off for 17 years. In 1991, he acquired the rights to the books for producer Robert Evans. The two went on to produce the 1997 feature starring Val Kilmer as the dapper adventurer.


In 2004, Macdonald teamed with Zamacona and Roger and Geoffrey Moore to bring the "Saint" franchise to television. The four formed Templar Entertainment Group, through which they acquired the TV rights to Charteris' novels.

The new "Saint" series was created by Zamacona, who penned the pilot script, and Macdonald. The project was originally set up at TNT, which announced it as part of its 2007 development slate last March (HR 3/13).

TNT later passed on it, and the rights reverted to the producers. Macdonald and Zamacona might have gone the traditional route -- trying to find a new network home for the show -- if it hadn't been for the writers strike.

With development activity in Hollywood screeching to a halt and Macdonald and Zamacona joining the picket lines, the producers began to mull producing the pilot and the potential series independently and seeking a network partner later. They were well into raising financing for the project when the strike ended.

"The strike changed our strategy because no one knew how long it was going to be, but producing the project independently gives us a lot more creative freedom," Macdonald said.

During the strike, Zamacona approached Levinson and Fontana, who had given him his first writing job on "Homicide: Life on the Street." The two came on board to executive produce "Saint" with Macdonald, Zamacona and Geoffrey Moore, and Levinson agreed to direct.

"One of the things we lost a little bit of in the movie but want to bring to the TV series is that Simon Templar is very funny character with great lines and situation humor, and I don't think there is anybody better than Levinson to tackle that," Macdonald said.

The producers then went after Purefoy, who recently starred on the HBO/BBC series "Rome," which was co-created and executive produced by Macdonald.

Casting is under way for the other key parts in the pilot: Inspector Claud Eustace Teal, the Interpol agent in charge of tracking Templar; Templar's romantic interest/assistant, Patricia Holm; and his enemy-turned-partner in crime, Baldwin Aleppo.

Filming on the two-hour telefilm, whose script was reworked after the strike, is expected to begin in April in Budapest, Hungary, New York and Puerto Rico.

The project is funded for seasons to come, Nehst founder and chairman Larry Meistrich said.


"We are committed to financing the pilot and deficiting the potential series," he said.

Added CEO Ari Friedman, "I think it's a really good time for a project like this, and we are confident we can find a home for it."

The two-hour movie/backdoor pilot model was used successfully to launch an updated version of another classic action-adventure series, "Knight Rider," which is expected to be picked up to series by NBC after the movie scored big ratings last month.

"Saint" was packaged by CAA. Levinson is repped by ICM.

Roger Moore starred on, produced and directed several episodes of the original British "Saint," which ran on ITV from 1962-69 and in syndication in the U.S. from 1963-66 and as a summer series on NBC from 1967-69.

In the past 10 years, there have been two attempts by broadcast networks to remake the series. In 2000, UPN teamed with director John McTiernan and ATG, while ABC took a stab at the franchise in 2004 with writer Stephen Nathan and "American Idol" producer FremantleMedia North America, which owned the rights at the time.

Hollywoodreporter.com

So they still haven't got a broadcaster? Sounds a bit worrying. I look forward to seeing it if it happens/sees the light of day.

Wouldn't worry about it too much. There's plenty of interest and the producers have enough integrity to walk away from broadcasters who want gratuitous explosions and effects that aren't really needed...

Ian

This post has been edited by Ian Dickerson: 10 March 2008 - 12:03

I for one and very much looking forward to the Return of the Saint

Indeed, one of the biggest sources of fascination is how the new Saint will be presented; I don't think an essentially overdressed, stuffy Englishman works anymore (ask the Bond producers) and I think it is the "establishmentness" that sank the Simon Dutton series (though I enjoyed Dutton in the role) and fired the very different take on the character in the Kilmer movie.

Though I have never read a Charteris Saint book (I have read Burl Barer's novelsiation and his 'Capture the Saint'), it will be the traditional Saint image (basically, Roger Moore) any new Saint audience will have as a preconception. I wonder if Purefoy is the right man to take the Saint in a new direction which will save this project from the fate of the Dutton series?

I think a number of things sunk the Dutton series - its rather cobbled together, euro-co-production feel in particular - the stories seemed to be designed around the tax-break financing.

Also, Dutton himself - he seemed far too wooden and stiff for the part of the free-wheeling bucaneer Templar

Purefoy is a classic english leading man in Hollywood, with something of a name, at least in TV thanks to Rome, so I think this stands a chance, as long as they get the scripts and tone right - the reference to the humour of the character encourages me

After the highly disastrous 1997 film of The Saint starring the ridiculously miscast Val Kilmer, the concept is coming back to TV and will star the much better cast Brit actor James Purefoy (once considered a Bond actor) and is also very likely to hopefully feature Roger Moore in probably a recurring role of some kind (as presumably some sort of elderly gentleman, befitting Mr. Moore's current age), who'll be a producer of it alongside his son and ultra neurotic US director Barry Levinson.


New take for 'Saint' series. By Nellie Andreeva.
March 10, 2008.


The Saint is marching back to television via a contemporary take on the Leslie Charteris' books, with James Purefoy in talks to topline as the debonair international thief Simon Templar. Producers Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana, writer Jorge Zamacona, feature producer Bill Macdonald, Roger Moore (who played Templar in the 1960s British series) and his son Geoffrey Moore are all involved in the project. Levinson is set to direct the 2 hour TV movie/backdoor pilot, which will be produced independently and then shopped to the networks.

The project is backed by Nehst Studios, a financing, production and distribution company that recently partnered with Lexicon Filmed Entertainment to share $250 million from private-equity sources to finance features, TV series and Web series. Macdonald has been associated with Saint on and off for 17 years. In 1991, he acquired the rights to the books for producer Robert Evans. The two went on to produce the 1997 feature starring Val Kilmer as the dapper adventurer.
In 2004, Macdonald teamed with Zamacona and Roger and Geoffrey Moore to bring the Saint franchise to television. The four formed Templar Entertainment Group, through which they acquired the TV rights to Charteris' novels.
The new Saint series was created by Zamacona, who penned the pilot script, and Macdonald. The project was originally set up at TNT, which announced it as part of its 2007 development slate last March (HR 3/13). TNT later passed on it, and the rights reverted to the producers. Macdonald and Zamacona might have gone the traditional route -- trying to find a new network home for the show -- if it hadn't been for the writers strike.

With development activity in Hollywood screeching to a halt and Macdonald and Zamacona joining the picket lines, the producers began to mull producing the pilot and the potential series independently and seeking a network partner later. They were well into raising financing for the project when the strike ended. 'The strike changed our strategy because no one knew how long it was going to be, but producing the project independently gives us a lot more creative freedom', Macdonald said. During the strike, Zamacona approached Levinson and Fontana, who had given him his first writing job on 'Homicide : Life on the Street'. The two came on board to executive produce Saint with Macdonald, Zamacona and Geoffrey Moore, and Levinson agreed to direct.

'One of the things we lost a little bit of in the 1997 movie, but want to bring to the TV series, is that Simon Templar is very funny character with great lines and situation humor and I don't think there is anybody better than Levinson to tackle that', Macdonald said. The producers then went after Purefoy, who recently starred on the HBO / BBC series Rome, which was co-created and executive produced by Macdonald. Casting is under way for the other key parts in the pilot: Inspector Claud Eustace Teal, the Interpol agent in charge of tracking Templar ; Templar's romantic interest/assistant, Patricia Holm; and his enemy-turned-partner in crime, Baldwin Aleppo. Filming on the two-hour telefilm, whose script was reworked after the strike, is expected to begin in April in Budapest, Hungary, New York and Puerto Rico. The project is funded for seasons to come, Nehst founder and chairman Larry Meistrich said. 'We are committed to financing the pilot and deficiting the potential series', he said. Added CEO Ari Friedman, 'I think it's a really good time for a project like this, and we are confident we can find a home for it'. The 2 hour movie/backdoor pilot model was used successfully to launch an updated version of another classic action-adventure series, 'Knight Rider', which is expected to be picked up to series by NBC after the movie scored big ratings last month. Saint was packaged by CAA. Levinson is repped by ICM. Roger Moore starred on, produced and directed several episodes of the original British "Saint," which ran on ITV from 1962-69 and in syndication in the U.S. from 1963-66 and as a summer series on NBC from 1967-69.
In the past 10 years, there have been two attempts by broadcast networks to remake the series. In 2000, UPN teamed with director John McTiernan and ATG, while ABC took a stab at the franchise in 2004 with writer Stephen Nathan and American Idol producer FremantleMedia North America, which owned the rights at the time.

Topics merged.

This post has been edited by TheSaint: 11 March 2008 - 01:04

Well that's something that doesn't appear to have changed!

I hope this does get off the ground. I'm not holding my breath though. I wish I had a dime for every time a new Saint series has been promised...

Actually it has. The new show is independantly financed by a single entity, whereras Saint Dutton had numerous financiers for various contributions to the series. And whereras the new show has Jorge Zamacona as show runner Saint Dutton had, erm, no one.

Ian

But it appears to have kept the 'keep as cheap as possible' air to it. And showrunners aren't something Euro productions have ever really had- just producers (until very recently).

I'm not down on this- I hope it's good, but it doesn't seem to be starting out from the strongest position.

As a very general point, a propos of nothing directly related to this topic, I have been amazed at the quality of the source material, ie Charteris' works, and the way in which every producer since the RKO films has decided to update or reimagine slightly the TV and film shows, thus diluting and detracting from what made the Saint popular in the books.

Aside from the aforementioned films, everything else since then has been soft and flabby by comparison - no offence to the actors per se, leaving a 'why did they bother' reaction from yours truly.

I think a certain arrogance is required for the part and somewhere else on these boards, I mentioned Rupert Everett who breezed through his roles with good looking, slight frame, arrogant nonchalance.

Yes, I know he is gay and this and that, but it was his turn in the My Best Friend's Wedding that made me think of this.

Hope there is dedication and respect for the source material this time as opposed to an 'easy sell' through the name.

To Mr Schofield; I can recommend the books, mostly from the late 20s to 40s before they were ghost written and 'diluted'. Capture the Saint was, to put it mildly, Crap.

The one Charteris book I remember reading quite vividly is the Saint in New York, which I found in my school library. I remember being quite struck by it's violence.

Are any published today?

This is a superb book.

I don't think any are published but abebooks.com will be the source for all things such as out of print books.