‘The 4400’ Reboot in Development at CW
By Joe Otterson
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – The CW is developing a reboot of the USA Network series “The 4400,” Variety has learned.
The reboot hails from CBS Television Studios, which produced the original series when it was still known as CBS Paramount Network Television. The project is being shephered by Taylor Elmore and Craig Sweeny, both of whom are under overall deals at the studio. Elmore and Sweeny will co-write the pilot for the reboot and executive produce, with Elmore set to serve as showrunner should the project move forward.
In the series, over the course of recent history, four thousand four hundred young adults in their reproductive prime have gone missing all over the world. Some disappearances happened as recently as a few weeks ago, while others date as far back as the day the Soviets launched the Sputnik satellite in 1957. One day in 2019, all 4,400 show up at the sites of their original abductions. None of them have aged a day and none have any memory of where they’ve been. The so called “4400” must grapple with their return to a changed and hostile world and also contend with the reality that they’ve come back altered in ways that none of them yet understand.
The original version of “The 4400” was created by René Echevarria and Scott Peters. It featured actors like Joel Gretsch, Jacqueline McKenzie, Conchita Campbell, and also served as an early starring vehicle for Oscar winner Mahershala Ali. It ran for four seasons and 44 episodes on USA from 2004-2007.
Elmore’s previous credits include working as a writer and co-executive producer on the series adaptation of “Limitless” for CBS as well as an executive producer and writer on the FX series “Justified.” He is also currently the showrunner, executive producer, and writer on the upcoming CBS series “Blood & Treasure.” He is repped by UTA and Hanson Jacobsen.
Sweeny previously served as a writer and supervising producer on the original version of “The 4400,” and developed “Limitless” for television while also serving as showrunner. His recent credits include “Star Trek: Discovery,” “Elementary,” and “Medium.” He is repped by WME and Jackoway Tyerman.
It was previously announced that is also currently developing a female-led adaptation of the film “Lean on Me,” a female-led version of “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” and an adaptation of the novel “The Lifeboat Clique.”
