Well, it looks as if ‘The Six Million Dollar Man‘ remake titled the ‘Six Billion Dollar Man’ has found a writer. Damian Szifron (‘Wild Tales,”The Bottom of the Sea’) is lined up to pen the remake which Pete Berg (‘Lone Survivor,”Battleship‘) is set to direct. This new take on the classic has Mark Wahlberg set to star in the lead role of Steve Austin who was originally played by Lee Majors in the 1974-1978 TV series, the 1976 ‘The Bionic Woman’ spin-off, as well as the 3 made-for-TV movies.

This is a character with some true legacy behind him that was quite popular and seems to have enough nostalgia for there to be interest in a reboot. Even if the rest of us are sick to death of reboots, I’m willing to give Wahlberg a chance as he can pull off some great acting and is willing to poke fun at himself and his roles when the need arises.

Which happens to be more often than not.

The initial TV series was based off of Martin Caidin’s novel ‘Cyborg’ and the new movie will once again focus on Steve Austin. Instead of a test pilot, however, this updated Steve Austin will be a military officer who suffers a tragic accident. Cutting edge technology not only saves his life but makes him into an advanced cyborg with enhanced strength and speed.

Of course with inflation what used to cost six million back in the 70s now has to run six billion and most likely we’ll find out that the upgrade is at the taxpayer’s expense.

According to Szifron:

“The themes surrounding this beloved property allow for the creation of a memorable sci-fi actioner as well as a bold spy thriller. Expectations are high and I’ll do my best to deliver the strongest basis for an amazing cinematic experience.”

While I’m a little sick of reboots, I think if they go with a smart script instead of humor, they can actually cover quite a bit of social commentary in the film. Of course at this time, it is a little too early to tell what direction they might have lined up for it.

Are you looking forward to the ‘Six Billion Dollar Man’? Do you think Wahlberg will get to show off his acting chops or will they be making it into a popcorn action flick? Share your thoughts below!

Source: The Hollywood Reporter