Film director McG has signed on to direct and executive produce the first episode of Fox’s reboot of the iconic lifeguard drama “Baywatch.”
The news comes as McG also signed off on a development deal with Fox Entertainment through his Wonderland Sound and Vision company. Per Fox, the new iteration will start filming in March on Venice Beach, as well as the Fox studio lot in Century City. The show will premiere sometime during Fox’s 2026-27 season.
“Baywatch” will be co-produced by Fox Entertainment and Fremantle with Matt Nix (“Burn Notice,” “The Gifted”) serving as showrunner and executive producer alongside executive producers McG, Michael Berk, Greg Bonann, Doug Schwartz, Dante Di Loreto and Mike Horowitz.
This will be another collaboration between McG and Fox, who have maintained a long-standing partnership, producing several projects, including the network’s action-drama series “Fastlane” and “Lethal Weapon,” as well as the comic-book adaptation “Human Target” and “The O.C.”
As Fox explains, the new series “will celebrate the franchise’s enduring legacy, while re-energizing it for today’s global audience. Fans can expect all the adrenaline-fueled rescues, tangled relationships, complicated chemistry and beachside heroics that defined the original — now with an entirely new cast, contemporary trappings, tensions and challenges, and a renewed mission to protect Southern California’s shoreline.”
And the reboot has already starting looking for fresh talent for the show, as it hosted an open casting call on Sunday in Marina Del Rey, Calif. The network is on the lookout for actors to fill a wide range of roles from series regulars and recurring characters and to walk-ons.
“The ‘Baywatch’ Open Casting Call gives actors a rare opportunity to join the team of an iconic global sensation that celebrates the California spirit and helped define L.A.’s incomparable beach culture,” Michael Thorn, president of Fox Television Network, said. “We’re excited to discover fresh faces with authentic SoCal energy as we bring back Baywatch for a new generation of fans.”
The original “Baywatch” premiered in 1989 on NBC. Starring David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson and Jason Momoa, the drama followed a group of lifeguards who patrolled the beaches of Los Angeles and Hawaii. “Baywatch” became the most-watched show in the world, airing in over 200 countries, and at its peak, reaching more than a billion viewers every week.
The post ‘Baywatch’: McG to Direct and Executive Produce First Episode of Fox Reboot appeared first on TheWrap.
