AMC Networks has announced that a reboot of the 1980s drama series Max Headroom is in development at AMC and SpectreVision. The reboot of Max Headroom will see the return of original star Matt Frewer as a computer-generated AI news host; Christopher Cantwell is reportedly in charge of the new adaptation.
Max Headroom, as a character, was first introduced in April 1985 in the British cyberpunk-futuristic movie Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future. The movie follows news anchor Edison Carter (Matt Frewer) as he flees from a pack of vengeful enemies inside a parking garage; Carter is forced to crash his motorcycle into an entrance barrier bearing a sign reading “Max. Headroom 2.3 Meters”. Gravely injured, Carter falls unconscious, and while he’s unconscious, an AI is developed based on his mind. The AI program, which develops sentience and its own unique personality, goes by the name of Max Headroom, also played by Frewer.
What We Know About the ‘Max Headroom’ Reboot
A reboot of the Max Headroom series is in development at AMC Networks, the company behind fan-favorite shows like Better Call Saul (2015), Dark Winds (2022), and The Walking Dead (2010). Matt Frewer has been confirmed to appear in the reboot as both Edison Carter and Max Headroom; no further casting information has been released yet, and it’s currently unclear if any of the other original stars will be appearing in the reboot.
According to TVLine, the reboot will be headed by SpectreVision under Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings), Daniel Noah (Daniel Isn’t Real), and All3Media. SpectreVision, founded by Wood, Noah, and fellow director Josh C. Waller in 2010, is described in an interview with Forbes as being geared towards “talented folks who were interested in making horror films for a more discerning, but potentially less broad, audience.” Past works by the studio include The Greasy Strangler (2016), Color Out of Space (2019), and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014).
The original Max Headroom series is available on DVD and across select streaming platforms. Detailed information on the upcoming Max Headroom reboot, including further cast information and an expected release date, are currently unknown.
