Beloved Surf-Action Film Is Becoming a New TV Series

One of the greatest, most "dudes rock" action movies ever made is reportedly getting a sequel TV series. Point Break, the 1991 movie that starred Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze as an undercover FBI agent and bank-robbing surfer, respectively, is getting adapted for the small screen by AMC. 

According to Deadline, the series will be set in 2026, some 35 years after the events of Kathryn Bigelow's original film. In that movie, rookie FBI agent Johnny Utah (Reeves) went undercover to try to catch a group of costumed bank-robbers known as the Dead Presidents. Working off a hunch that the group are also surfers, he immerses himself in Los Angeles' surf scene and becomes friends with Bodhi (Swayze), a charismatic boarder. Naturally, Bodhi ends up being the ringleader of the Dead Presidents, forcing Utah to turn on his new bro. 

The proposed new series, should it be greenlit, is said to follow a new heist crew that has ties to the Dead Presidents. Few other details about the show have been announced. Dave Kalstein, who co-executive produced NCIS: Los Angeles and Quantico, is behind the Point Break show and will serve as writer and producer. 

There's no indication that Bigelow, writer of the original film W. Peter Iliff, or Reeves are involved with the new show in any capacity at this point. Swayze died in 2009 of pancreatic cancer.

A release date for the series has yet to be announced, nor has any casting information. 

The AMC Series Isn't the First Point Break Adaptation

Point Break is an iconic '90s flick and a great exploration of masculinity — perhaps because it was Bigelow, an Oscar-winner and one of the best female directors of action of all time, who was behind the camera. Living up to the greatness of the original movie will be a tall order, but the AMC series won't be the first to attempt it. 

Back in 2015, a remake starring Édgar Ramírez, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Delroy Lindo and Ray Winstone hit theaters. Rather than be a sequel of sorts, as the TV show appears to be, this was a straightforward remake, one that leaned more into the extreme sports aspect of the original. Reviews for the movie were generally negative. The stunt sequences, including wingsuiting, rock climbing, snowboarding, and surfing setpieces, were praised but the drama was lacking. The new stars just didn't have the charisma of Reeves and Swayze, and the script didn't support them enough.

If the AMC series is to be a worthy follow-up to the 1991 movie, it can't just be action. It's got to have heart, too.