Between New Avengers and the Feature Film...

Borgus Weems · Post by **Borgus Weems** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 1:34 am

... how many times did they seriously try to mount a new Avengers show/movie? The Avengers Anew book from 1985 indicates there was a new effort to relaunch the Avengers in some form, but I don't know if the author had proof or if it was wishful thinking.

Dandy Forsdyke · Post by **Dandy Forsdyke** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 9:37 am

You have a good point.

Often a mere suggestion of an Avengers revival can can snowball into an urban myth and as we weren't there we don't really know.

There seem to be revivals planned in 1979 (with Steed, Gambit and Purdey), 1980 (Steed, Gambit and two new women; a new partner for Gambit called Carruthers and American partner for Steed: Suzy), 1985 (with Steed, Mrs Samantha Peel and Christoper Cambridge) and two projects in 1987 - the Jerry Weintraub/Mel Gibson project and a competing one with Michael Sloane (and Patrick, Honor Blackman and Linda Thorson aboard) called The Avenging Angel (as Weintraub owned 'The Avengers' name).

The Avengers Movie made it in 1997/98 of course and then there was talk of ITV commissioning a new series in 2006 (I think) afte the BBC's success with Doctor Who.

Of the above the the furthest they seemed to get was with a third New Avengers series planned in 1979 made by London Weekend Television (LWT) with money from CBS in the US but it collapsed at the last minute. Brian Clemens, Patrick, Gareth and Joanna all agreed (it is said) to return, but fell down because of a shortfall of £25,000 an episode.

Cariheart · Post by **Cariheart** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 1:03 pm

Interesting, Dandy, thanks for enlightenning me. I've only known about the 1998 movie. It blows my mind that there could have been such a resurrgence of the show years later. That's how awesome The Avengers was. Too bad these attempts bottomed-out. Or is it a blessing? Is it possible audiences were becoming sated after/during the running of TNA?

Dandy Forsdyke · Post by **Dandy Forsdyke** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 4:04 pm

Cariheart wrote:Interesting, Dandy, thanks for enlightenning me. I've only known about the 1998 movie. It blows my mind that there could have been such a resurrgence of the show years later. That's how awesome The Avengers was. Too bad these attempts bottomed-out. Or is it a blessing? Is it possible audiences were becoming sated after/during the running of TNA?

From my own point of view I was looking forward to a 1978 season of TNA so was gutted when there was no news.

Blessing or curse? I'd have favoured on the 1979 series with Pat, Gareth and Joanna. That sounded like the best idea. Of course Joanna was busy with Sapphire & Steel by then so may have been unavailable.

The Samantha Peel/Christor Cambridge effort sounds stupid - and making Samantha Peel Emma Peel's daughter in law was a knotty way of creating' a new 'Mrs Peel'.

I liked the idea of Cathy Gale and Tara King returning but I don't like The Avenging Angel as a title and the idea that they would be pallbearers to Steed in his coffin is horrific!

Borgus Weems · Post by **Borgus Weems** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 7:15 pm

Interesting number of solid attempts there! Have fans got ahold of the pitches/scripts?

Dandy Forsdyke · Post by **Dandy Forsdyke** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 7:22 pm

There are script excerpts and story outlines to The First Avengers Movie (1980) and Avengers International/Reincarnation (1985) in The Ultimate Avengers. Worth buying.

I presume Suzy Stride is the same Suzy from Escapade.

Timeless A-Peel · Post by **Timeless A-Peel** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 8:18 pm

Dandy Forsdyke wrote:
Cariheart wrote:Interesting, Dandy, thanks for enlightenning me. I've only known about the 1998 movie. It blows my mind that there could have been such a resurrgence of the show years later. That's how awesome The Avengers was. Too bad these attempts bottomed-out. Or is it a blessing? Is it possible audiences were becoming sated after/during the running of TNA?

From my own point of view I was looking forward to a 1978 season of TNA so was gutted when there was no news.

Blessing or curse? I'd have favoured on the 1979 series with Pat, Gareth and Joanna. That sounded like the best idea. Of course Joanna was busy with Sapphire & Steel by then so may have been unavailable.

The Samantha Peel/Christor Cambridge effort sounds stupid - and making Samantha Peel Emma Peel's daughter in law was a knotty way of creating' a new 'Mrs Peel'.

I liked the idea of Cathy Gale and Tara King returning but I don't like The Avenging Angel as a title and the idea that they would be pallbearers to Steed in his coffin is horrific!

I would have loved the third series of TNA. They danced around it well beyond 1979--in 1981 they were still hoping to bring it back--but the CBS deal was the closest it ever got.

I always thought the Cathy/Tara idea sounded fun, too. I didn't like the Samantha Peel idea at all. Making her Emma's daughter-in-law and then having her flirt with Steed seemed one step away from incestuous.

You forgot the 1994 mooted Purdey/Gambit TV movie/series thingie, Dandy. For shame.

Dandy Forsdyke · Post by **Dandy Forsdyke** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 9:08 pm

Timeless A-Peel wrote: You forgot the 1994 mooted Purdey/Gambit TV movie/series thingie, Dandy. For shame.

Why I was saving that for you, Mrs. Peel!

... ahem.

Timeless A-Peel · Post by **Timeless A-Peel** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 11:12 pm

Dandy Forsdyke wrote:
Timeless A-Peel wrote: You forgot the 1994 mooted Purdey/Gambit TV movie/series thingie, Dandy. For shame.
Why I was saving that for you, Mrs. Peel!

... ahem.

Likely story.

Johnny O · Post by **Johnny O** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 11:43 pm

There were often reports in the (mainly tabloid) UK newspapers about a new series of The Avengers on TV. I remember one such occasion, but alas the timing escapes me completely. All I recall was that Patrick was quoted as saying that he'd need to "grab Joanna before she becomes too famous", which struck me as odd at the time, because I considered Joanna Lumley very famous indeed!