Awesome Movies You Didn't Know Were Continuing With A New TV Series

Featuring the whoa-ness of Keanu Reeves, the acrobatic cinematography of co-directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, and a lot high-octane action, John Wick was the surprise hit of 2014. The story centers on the titular character, a retired assassin pulled back into the fold, thanks to some jerky, dog-killing thugs. As a result, Reeves' hitman turns the revenge factor up to 11 and brings his gun-fu to bear on his fellow ruthless if regulated assassins, then does it again in Chapter 2. Fans awaiting Chapter 3, which is currently in development limbo, are in for another treat: Mr. Wick, or at least the world around him, may be headed to a nearby TV screen.

Currently titled The Continental, the series will be a prequel, at least according to co-director Stahelski. He and Wick co-writer Derek Kolstad are working on a TV presence based on the eponymous hotel, which served as safe ground for the films' high-flying hitmen. The show will feature other branches of Continental around the world and explore what Stahelski calls the "Wick-ian, magical, and mysterious world of the titular hotel." The series would also give the co-director a chance to flesh out the curious cast of curious characters, with Stahelski even suggesting Reeves might drop by, if only for a moment. 

At present, the adaptation is in its earliest stages.

The 1969 heist classic, starring Michael Caine as Charlie Croker, is a tightly wound movie about a clutch of thieves who, unsurprisingly, put together a major haul in Italy. Famous for its use of Mini Coopers as well as its sizable cast, which also included Noel Coward and Benny Hill, the film was remade in 2003. Keeping the revenge and money modus operandi, Mark Wahlberg played the shifty conman, with Charlize Theron portraying the safe-cracking daughter of their murdered "colleague." 

Years later, The Italian Job stole the curiosity of Paramount TV and NBC. As Deadline reported, Entourage producer Rob Weiss and Benjamin Brand are scheming up a series, along with remake producer Donald De Line. The TV show will change things up a little, though, as head crook Croker winds up in the pokey, and it's up to his "family" members to bust him out again—shades of Prison Break. Considering the exotic locales and explosive action of its cinematic namesakes, the episodic endeavor has some sizable loafers (and hopefully a big budget) to fill.

It's likely just a matter of time before Charlie Croker gets his TV score together.

In the Line of Fire proved Clint Eastwood could still tear it up with the best of the action-hero set. The once-Dirty Harry plays former Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan, who suffers from a guilty conscience after President John F. Kennedy is killed on his watch. Fortunately, he gets an opportunity to redeem himself, since John Malkovich's ex-CIA agent plots to assassinate the current U.S. President. Although somewhat predictable, the suspenseful feature faded from pop culture for nearly two decades, at least until recently.

As Deadline reported, CSI producers Carol Mendelsohn and Josh Berman want to refurbish Wolfgang Peterson's thriller for NBC. The series would expand upon the film's premise, as two Secret Servicepersons investigate a rogue CIA agent trying to take out the POTUS—apparently, the agency's psych-checks aren't what they used to be. At the moment, the pilot remains in production limbo. But with the right cast and crew, the series could return to active duty.  

Director Nick Castle and writer Jonathan Betuel first brought The Last Starfighter to the big screen in 1984. In the film, Lance Guest plays video game junkie Alex Rogan, whose arcade skills enabled him to pilot a "real starship" and take down an intergalactic empire. To make his space opera, Castle made extensive use of early computer generated imagery, in addition to practical effects. Apparently, innovation remains key to the franchise, since Betuel announced recently that he was developing a Starfighter series set in a virtual reality world. 

As Variety noted, Betuel partnered with VR developers Andy Vick and Rick Rey to fashion Starfighter Chronicles into a VR series. Since then, Tech Times also reported that Preacher creators Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg—who'd long been interested in adapting the cult film—were developing a series called Future Man for Hulu. Starring The Hunger Games' Josh Hutcherson, the show's plot sounds very familiar, as it revolves around a professional gamer who realizes he's being trained for space combat. 

The race to create a Starfighter-inspired series, though, seems to be stuck at the gates. Neither group has announced any forward momentum on either adaptation. With VR applications in their infancy and Rogen and crew neck-deep in other projects, it's anyone's guess as to which TV series soars into the cosmos first.

The Dark Tower finally brings Stephen King's western-fantasy epic to the big screen. His struggle between good and evil, embodied by Idris Elba's Roland Deschain and Matthew McConaughey's Man in Black, acts as the linchpin to the author's sprawling multiverse. Building momentum through eight books, a novella, and a comic series, the overarching tale is so vast that no single movie, much less a series of films, could adequately cover it. Fortunately for King buffs, a television series is already in the works in addition to the 2017 film.

Plans for a TV-movie shared universe, built around the Tower saga, have made the rounds for years, but remain in production limbo, though, at least until the feature film gains momentum. In a recent TV Guide interview, director Ron Howard allayed fears about the companion series, claiming that, while there's no "commitment on the television side" yet, a major box office coup should start the networks drooling. After all, The Dark Tower franchise is potentially limitless. Presuming the series comes together, Howard teased a crossover with some of the film's actors, including Elba and Tom Taylor's Jake Chambers.

Director Joel Schumacher—yes, the Batman & Robin guy—blended teen heartthrobs Corey Haim and Corey Feldman with a poppy soundtrack, and then threw in a batch of bad-to-the-bone, mullet-sporting vampires, to create his horror-comedy classic The Lost Boys. When the Emerson family relocates to Santa Carla, they discover that California isn't quite so sunny, thanks to all the local bloodsuckers. When eldest son Michael falls in with a gang of blood-addicted hooligans, the family pulls together, with the help of horror hounds the Frog Brothers, to release him from their spell. After two unnecessary sequels, though, The Lost Boys seemed lost to the direct-to-video world, at least until recently.

According to Collider, the kitschy parasitic classic is flying onto the small screen, under the guidance of television creator extraordinaire Rob Thomas—best known for Veronica Mars and iZombie. Thomas noted that he's most interested in recapturing Schumacher's Peter Pan meets vampires feel, while downplaying the film's somewhat binary morality. For him, the creatures of the night aren't necessarily the villains, as much as the temptation of eternal youth—an appropriate theme for So-Cal. Thomas also mentioned that each season could feature one of numerous vampire enclaves scattered around California.

If Spoiler TV's casting call slip is legitimate, The Lost Boys series is already in progress—so start growing those undead mullets.

The original Tremors stranded Kevin Bacon, country singer Reba McEntire, and Michael Gross in the wilds of Nevada, pitting them against gigantic, animatronic sandworms (or "Graboids"). Beneath the goofy sci-fi tropes, director Ron Underwood crafted a taut desert thriller, which also explains its strong cult following. Fans of the campy bug-hunt are clearly hungry for more, since a sixth, presumably direct-to-video sequel is slated for release in 2018. With that kind of devotion, developing a TV series just makes sense.

Technically, the upcoming Tremors series is the franchise's second televised outing. A short-lived 2003 serial scraped its way through a season at Syfy, back when it was spelled Sci-Fi. According to Cinema Blend, the latest show has wriggled away from streaming service Amazon, winding up at Syfy once again. Best of all, Kevin Bacon will reprise his role as Valentine McKee, for the first time since the original, and also serve as an executive producer. As the update mentioned, McKee's first round with the Graboids pushed him inside a bottle. For the latest entry, he'll have to deal with his own psychological issues, in addition to his worm-killing duties.

The newest Tremors is still in the pilot stage, but a strong script and backing from Bacon should help it squirm into Syfy's regular lineup. Elephant guns at the ready.