Super Gran, the beloved 1980s TV show about a senior citizen with superpowers, could soon be getting a feature-length reboot. Welsh screenwriter Keri Collins won a prestigious accolade for his unproduced screenplay for the family comedy-adventure, which has been developed with producer Sarah Brocklehurst. The Emmy-winning show ran between 1985 and 1987 on Children’s ITV and was broadcast in over 60 countries.
Initially a series of books written by Forrest Wilson, the fictional series centred around Granny Smith, who attains magical abilities after being hit by a magical ray. She uses her powers to defend the inhabitants of Chiselton against an array of villains. The reboot takes a slightly different tack, following a dyslexic 12-year-old London schoolboy named Willard who visits his Scottish grandmother in Loch Ness over Christmas. He discovers his nan has superpowers and a spy base below the famous lake, before the two face down a tech-obsessed villain.
Collins, a former Welsh Bafta Breakthrough director and writer, hopes to go the way of Paddington and Peter Rabbit, with films that appeal to both children and adults. “What Paddington did so brilliantly is appeal to both parents and kids,” he said. “While parents remember the original, their kids like the new version and think it’s fun, making it appeal to both generations. So when thinking of a new project, I looked back at iconic shows of my childhood such as SuperTed, Banana Man and Super Gran.”
Collins’ project is drawing highly positive reviews and recently topped 2023’s pick of unproduced scripts in the Brit List industry survey. Previous Brit List honourees that have gone on to great success include The King’s Speech, The Favourite, Lion, The Danish Girl and Paddington. “The list draws projects to the attention of the wider industry and many of those who pay attention to it are actually in America,” said Collins. “They look at the list, searching for new writers, projects and scripts, so this accolade gives the project lots of kudos and momentum. Hopefully, it will get seen more widely because I know there are people reading it right now who wouldn’t have heard of it before.
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