Oh look, it’s the famous Simon Templar… boing!

It was only yesterday when coming back from lunch that I was commenting on the sad state of affairs on TV.

“We need less TV detective teams working with DNA and psychologists and more proper TV heroes like Simon Templar, The Saint.”

And lo, minutes later I was greeted by the news that the cable network TNT was making a new series of the Saint. Despite being gun shy after that insipid Val Kilmer film, I’m optimistically looking forward to this – especially since today’s news is even better.

Today’s news is from Burl Barer, Brilliant Author => THE SAINT on TNT

The Roger Moore series that began in 1962 used the “glob trotting celebrity” character found in Charteris later short stories, and due to the restrictive TV codes of the time, Charteris lamented that the Saint on TV bore as much similarity to his creation as Winnie the Pooh did to Captain Blood.

Times have changed — restrictions have relaxed. Soooo…this version of The Saint will be the more dangerous and picaresque adventurer, having way too much fun as he takes on recalcitrant and contumacious oppressors while bedding the requisite bevy of beauties — including the mercurial and romantic Ms Patricia Holm. As all Saint fans know, Simon Templar parks his shoes in numerous international locales, but Holm is where he hangs his hat — or halo.

Bill Macdonald asked me to serve as “consultant” to the project, and has honestly taken my suggestions to heart (and page). The show should be really cool, faithful to the character, and won’t have Charteris getting what he termed Graveyard Torque from spinning in his metaphoric grave.

I just hope they don’t call him the “gay buccaneer” anymore… I think that may need be left as a legacy of the 1930’s…

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