Max Headroom Looks to Catch the Wave of '80s Nostalgia With a TV Reboot

Given the current onslaught of ‘80s nostalgia (bolstered by Stranger Things and elevated by “sure, why not?” occurrences like the ALF revival), it only makes sense that one of the coolest characters of the era—artificial intelligence personality Max Headroom—would be angling for a return.

This news comes courtesy of Deadline, which is quick to reassure us that original star Matt Frewer is onboard to reprise his role as Max Headroom (seriously, who else could play him?) in a potential drama series for AMC Networks. And there are other notables attached: Halt and Catch Fire co-creator Christopher Cantwell (who’s also an executive producer on Prime Video’s new Paper Girls) is penning the adaptation and will serve as showrunner, and Elijah Wood is among the project’s producers.

Who is Max Headroom, you ask? Deadline has the rundown, excluding the character’s notorious appearance in a legendary broadcast signal intrusion incident, but adding some more recent pop-ups I had no idea existed (Selena Gomez, who knew?) “Known for biting commentary, quick wit, and manic glitching, the supposedly computer-generated TV host played by Frewer was first introduced in the 1985 British cyberpunk TV movie Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future. He became an instant pop culture phenom and went on to host a music-video show, star in ads for New Coke, appear on the cover of Newsweek and headline his own primetime series, Max Headroom, which aired on ABC for two seasons from 1987-88. At that point, the character’s massive popularity started to wane but he has remained a cult favorite with frequent pop culture references, on shows like BoJack Horseman and Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. and in Selena Gomez’s music video for ‘Love You Like a Love Song,’ among many others.”

When exactly we might see this cult favorite grace our screens again is as-yet unknown, but we’ll be over here in our jelly shoes demanding our MTV until more info is released.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

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