‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ TV series in the works told from Chief’s POV

After having solidified his place as a film and a literary classic, We flew over the cuckoo nest could soon arrive on the small screen.

Paul Zaentz, the nephew of producer Saul Zaentz – who helped give life to the 1975 beloved cinematographic version of the acclaimed novel by Ken Kesey – works on a series adaptation, he confirmed to Weekly entertainment. Zaentz recently unveiled plans for a television adaptation during a visit to the cinematographic podcast CK Café.

“I just signed an agreement with the widow and the family of Ken Kesey to develop a television series, where we will do it through the chief’s point of view for the first season,” said Zaentz on the show. “After the first season, which will happen to the chief after having escaped [from the hospital]. “”

Zaentz continued by saying that the attraction of the new television project tells the story “from a totally different point of view”.

No showrunners or writers have yet been attached to the project.

Based on the 1962 Kesey novel, the film played Jack Nicholson as a rebel condemned sent to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation, where he encouraged his docile companions to take more control of their lives and to challenge the tyrannical chief nurse of the mental institution, a featured nurse (played by Louise Fletcher).

Although the film was widely acclaimed by criticism and collected five Grands Prix de l’Académie – the best film, the best director, the best actor (for Nicholson), the best actress (for Fletcher) and the best scenario – Kesey disowned the prospect of Chef Bromden, the AKA chief.

Will Sampson portrayed the US patient who is half a native in the film led by Miloš Forman, a character who turns a passive observer into a rebel in its own right. But the adaptation was mainly around the character of Nicholson, Randle Patrick “RP” McMurphy.

“Ken Kesey was not happy,” Zaentz told the author’s response to the film on CK coffee. “He claims that he hated the film, but he also says that he has never seen the film.”

As for the position of the producer, it generally be wary of remakes but sees the potential in the adaptation of the history of a new format. “What I really despise about remakes is when a person is redoing a classic film,” said Zaentz. “I mean, why will you redo a classic cinematographic scene by scene? If there was a film that had a great concept but was a terrible film, then redo this one. But don’t remake Psycho. “”

Zaentz added this overhaul We flew over the cuckoo nest As a television series, would create room for “more development of characters, introducing more characters and more sub -intrigues”.

Do you want more cinematographic news? Register Weekly entertainmentThe free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, etc.

The producer echoes this prospect at a press conference during the 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic this weekend, where he also approached his plans for the series, by THE Hollywood Reporter.

“Over the past 50 years, there have been hundreds of studios, directors and producers who want to redo the film, and we never allow it to be redone if they did as Miloš did,” Zaentz told journalists. “It would be a dishonor.”

He then described his vision of the Arc of the show, in which McMurphy died at the end of the first season and the second season would extend beyond the book of Kesey to explore the life of the chief after his escape from the hospital.