‘Max Headroom’ Reboot in Development at AMC, Matt Frewer Set to Reprise Role

The 1980s pop culture phenomenon Max Headroom is getting a reboot at AMC. Original star Matt Frewer will reprise his role as the world’s first artificial intelligence TV personality, with Halt and Catch Fire co-creator Christopher Cantwell serving as writer and showrunner.

The reboot will be produced by Elijah Wood and Daniel Noah’s SpectreVision and All3Media, according to Deadline. The character was first seen in the TV movie Max Headroom: 20 Minutes in the Future, which was then developed into a TV series in the United States. Max was known for biting commentary on topical issues, his arrogant wit, stuttering, and a pitch-shifting voice. The character was advertised as “computer-generated,” but it was Frewer playing him with the help of creative costumes, lighting, and editing effects.

After shooting into popularity with the TV movie, the character appeared in commercials, hosted a music-video show, was referenced across many shows and movies like Family Matters and Back To the Future, and eventually led the original series on ABC. But the show only lasted two seasons, running from 1987 to 1988. The show also starred Jeffrey Tambor, Amanda Pays, George Coe, Chris Young, Hank Garrett, and Lee Wilkof.

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Cantwell, Frewer, and Lisa Whalen will executive produce the Max Headroom reboot with SpectreVision’s Wood and Noah. The series will mark Cantwell’s return to AMC after Halt and Catch Fire. And projects from Wood’s production house include Mandy, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, and The Greasy Strangler.

Max Headroom joins a group of other reboots and spinoffs coming soon to AMC. Tales of the Walking Dead premieres August 14 on the network, and the new iteration Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire debuts October 2 after the last season premiere of The Walking Dead.

Max Headroom, Original Series Premiere, TBA, AMC