Ron Howard recently said he would want to make Backdraft into an adapted television series. The award-winning director has already had his films Parenthood and Willow adapted into television series. Howard has even mentioned wanting to direct an episode of Willow. He said regarding the idea, “Backdraft would be fun. You could get the scope and the intensity that we had to do all in-camera — now we could do it efficiently and safely.” The 1991 film starred Kurt Russell and William Baldwin as two brothers, both firefighters, that constantly butt heads. They must work together to find the serial arsonist causing havoc around the city. Ron Howard discussed the safety concerns during the making of Backdraft in addition to an adapted television series. Some of the fire scenes were not entirely safe at the time and the director was relieved when production wrapped up.
Ron Howard Has a Long Legacy of Iconic Films That are Adaptation-Material
The director served as an executive producer for the Disney+ series adaptation of Willow. Ron Howard thinks that Backdraft would make a great adapted television series for a streaming service or network television. Since Howard has seen some shows based around firehouses, making Backdraft a series makes sense. He is one of Hollywood’s most recognizable names, not just from his acting days in American Graffiti and Happy Days. He has defined his career by his work as a director. Some of his directing works include Frost/Nixon, A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code, and Thirteen Lives. If Ron Howard says that he’d like to see a Backdraft series, that can give some hope to directors, writers, and producers looking for a new project. The famed director likes to produce these adaptations too, which is also a good sign.
All that needs to happen is for someone to take the bait and make a Backdraft adaptation. Which one of Howard’s films do you think would make a good television adaptation?