Grab the Remote: 'Push' Coming to TV

You know the old saying: "If at first you don't succeed, why not try TV?" That's the saying, right? Well, it's certainly apropos for Push, the mostly forgettable sci-fi flick about whatever it was about, telekinetic superheroes or something. As a box office performer, Push was merely a slow roller to the shortstop that ended in a routine out at first base. It debuted with only $10 million and didn't even recover its very manageable $38 million budget in the US. Ah, but what about those foreign numbers? Another $12.6 million. So, factoring in advertising expenses, it didn't make money. Oh, but the DVD sales were a whopping $15 million meaning...not much. So how in the world is this ripe for a shot on the small screen? Variety reports that Summit Entertainment has teamed up with E1 Entertainment to spin the original screenplay by David Bourla into a series. David Hayter, who co-wrote Watchmen, is writing and producing the TV version (we assume he's just writing the pilot for the time being), and Summit is pitching the idea to networks, although nobody's taking the bait just yet. You never know, though; NBC has a new opening at 10pm. Actually, that's the worst fit of all, because NBC already has a show called Heroes that nobody watches. OK, so it gets about four million a week, or about 25% what Two and a Half Men draws per week in the same hour. From Summit's standpoint, however, I think this is a smart move. Maybe not Push, but doing the whole vertical integration thing. The studio can't make Twilight a series, although that's probably a better fit for its melodrama (and I mean that with no ill will), and Summit's too new to have a lot of opportunities in TV. But I certainly get why they're doing it. I just wish there was a better product to start with.

Comments

[Vince]

That might be cool, since Heroes has been down-and-out for the past few seasons (people need their normal people with extraordinary powers!), and I liked the idea of the movie, but felt that they crammed way too much into 2 hours.

Not that I watch TV regularly or anything, but it could be a cool little cult sci-fi series; something that delves into the "rich fiction" more is certainly welcome.