‘Hawaii Five-O’ Movie Finally Moves Forward With a ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Director Behind It
‘Hawaii Five-O’ has been trying to make the jump from television to the big screen for a very long time. Now, it looks like the classic crime series may finally have a real shot at becoming a movie, and Paramount Pictures has brought in a director with plenty of experience handling big action projects.
According to an exclusive report from Deadline, Paramount is putting together a theatrical ‘Hawaii Five-O’ movie with Destin Daniel Cretton attached to develop and direct. Chris Bremner, who wrote ‘Bad Boys for Life,’ is working on the screenplay, while Noah Oppenheim, known for producing ‘Jackie,’ is set to produce. The project is still in the early stages, and Paramount has not officially commented on the news yet.
Even so, Cretton’s involvement makes this one of the more interesting attempts to get the franchise onto the big screen. He has already shown that he can handle both character-driven stories and huge action movies. His work includes ‘Short Term 12’ and ‘The Glass Castle,’ before he moved into blockbuster territory with Marvel’s ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.’
Cretton also directed ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ giving him another major franchise boost. Deadline describes him as one of Hollywood’s hottest directors right now, and his growing list of projects certainly backs that up. He is also connected to a movie based on the popular ‘Naruto’ anime and manga franchise.
That makes Cretton an interesting choice for ‘Hawaii Five-O.’ The franchise needs to feel familiar enough for longtime fans while also working as a modern action movie for people who may not know the original series. A director coming from major superhero and action projects could give the property a much bigger scale without completely losing its crime-story roots.
The ‘Hawaii Five-O’ name goes all the way back to 1968, when CBS launched the original series created by Leonard Freeman. Jack Lord played Steve McGarrett, the tough leader of a special state police team working cases across Hawaii. The series became one of television’s most recognizable police dramas and remained on the air until 1980.
The Hawaii setting was always a huge part of the show’s identity. Along with the crime stories, viewers got beautiful island locations, action, and the famous theme song. Those same elements could work especially well on the big screen, where the setting could become an even bigger part of the experience.
The franchise already has some recent TV history as well. CBS launched a reboot in 2010 starring Alex O’Loughlin as Steve McGarrett, with Scott Caan, Daniel Dae Kim, and Grace Park also among the main cast. That version lasted 10 seasons before ending in 2020, proving that there was still plenty of interest in the property decades after the original series finished.
A theatrical movie, however, has been much harder to get off the ground. Earlier attempts struggled with rights issues connected to the original series. That history makes the latest report especially notable, because this time the project appears to have moved into the development stage with a major studio and an established director attached.
There is still no word on casting, a release date, or whether the movie will continue the story of the 2010 series. It is also unclear if a new version of Steve McGarrett will lead the film or if Paramount plans to take the franchise in a completely different direction.
For now, Cretton is the biggest piece of news. If the project continues to move forward, ‘Hawaii Five-O’ could finally get the big-screen treatment fans have been waiting for. After decades of false starts, having a director with major franchise experience attached could be the thing that finally gets the movie across the finish line.
What would you want most from a new ‘Hawaii Five-O’ movie?
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