SWAT Reboot

[Walts Ghost]

‘S.W.A.T.’ TV Drama Reboot From Shawn Ryan & Justin Lin Gets CBS Pilot Order

CBS has given a pilot order to S.W.A.T., a drama series inspired by the 2003 Sony movie that was based on the 1975 TV series produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg. The project, executive produced by The Shield creator Shawn Ryan, Neal H. Moritz (Preacher), Justin Lin (Scorpion) and Aaron Rahsaan Thomas (The Get Down, Friday Night Lights), hails from Sony Pictures TV, which will co-produce with CBS TV Studios.

The project had a pilot production commitment with series penalty behind it. It marks the first pilot order under the overall deal Lin’s Perfect Storm Entertainment signed with Sony TV last summer, which is exclusive in broadcast and first-look in cable.

Written by Sleepy Hollow alum Thomas with Fast & Furious helmer Lin set to direct, S.W.A.T. is described as an intense, action-packed procedural following a locally born and bred S.W.A.T. lieutenant torn between loyalty to the streets and duty to his fellow officers when he’s tasked to run a highly-trained unit that is the last stop for solving crimes in Los Angeles.

The 2003 movie S.W.A.T., produced by Moritz and directed by Clark Johnson, starred Samuel L. Jackson and co-starred Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez and LL Cool J. It grossed $207 million at the worldwide box office.

Thomas is executive producing the pilot alongside Ryan and Marney Hochman of MiddKid Prods, Moritz and Pavun Shetty of Original Films, and Lin and Danielle Woodrow of Perfect Storm Entertainment.

Like PSE, whose TV efforts are overseen by Woodrow, Thomas, Ryan’s MiddKid and Moritz’s Original Films all have overall deals at Sony TV.

This brings the number of CBS drama pilots to 8.