Push it real good!

A TV series based on the rather mediocre feature film “Push” is in the works.
Summit is taking another stab at the concept, partnering up with Canada’s E1 Entertainment to create a TV series, says The Hollywood Reporter.

The series will purportedly be an extension of the science-fiction thriller, centered on people with paranormal powers who band together to take down a corrupt government agency.

“The concept behind the ‘Push’ feature film offers a broad and rich canvas on which to extend the story line and characters introduced in the feature film,” said Summit co-chairmen Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger in a statement. “The project is also the perfect vehicle to initiate Summit’s plans of producing programming for the global TV marketplace.”

It’s unlikely anyone from the film’s cast – which included Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle and Djimon Hounsou – will be back for the small-screen take.

The one thing that the series has going for it, which the film didn’t, is it’s writer – David Hayter (“Watchmen”) will be penning the pilot.

The film had the potential to be good, what with Paul McGuigan directing, but the broth was spoilt before it was already spooned into bowls.

It’s a wonder McGuigan, known for his terrifically-twisty crime-thrillers (“The Wrong Man”, “Gangster No.1”), even accepted the gig. Not only is the comic a fairly blah mish-mash of TVs “Heroes”, and the aforementioned Marvel Comic mutant series, but the screenplay is as vanilla as Creaming Soda…. With half the fizz. Surely McGuigan – at one time tipped be the next ‘Bryan Singer’ – could see that, right? Did he not notice that the screenplay was penned by the guy whose biggest credits to date were coming up with the paper-thin plots for the ‘Thumbies’ episodes!?

You know a film’s in trouble when it feels the need to spend five minutes giving you some banal long-winded back-story about the folklore behind its central characters and their powers – which “Push” did – and even then, you still don’t have a clue what’s going on.

As good as David Bourla may be at satirising popular cartoon characters and movie franchises (via the amusing “Thumbies” shorts), he seemed lost at sea trying to stretch a plot over an hour-and-a-half, not to mention flesh out characters not made of human skin. He also seems to be so in love with the concept, that besides not noticing that what he’s done is merely take bits from other, better movies and roll them up together, he’s neglected to give his characters any kind of motivation, let alone giving the story some kind of enthused drive. Instead, Bourla handed in a messy, predictable Disney Channel-esque offering.

Hopefully the TV version will, like Whedon’s “Buffy” did the Kuzui’s “Buffy”, fix the errors of the film.