Alice Eve is starring in a new Early Edition pilot, remaking the late-1990s series.
For those with long memories, Early Edition was a show in the feel-good style of Quantum Leap. We have vague recollections of an early evening Saturday slot on itv (but are happy to be corrected!)
The show followed the story of Gary Hobson, who mysteriously receives a copy of the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper a day early; adventures then unfold as he uses his foreknowledge to prevent terrible events from occurring.
Starring Kyle Chandler, the show ran for ninety episodes in four seasons between 1996 and 2000. Full of moral dilemmas, Gary Hobson was a reluctant hero, receiving the paper wherever he, is thanks to a mystical cat.
A new version of the show, fronted by Alice Eve, has gained a pilot commission.
Here’s the announcement for the new take on the idea, thanks to Deadline:
Written by Melissa Glenn, the new Early Edition follows Beth (Eve), an ambitious but uncompromising journalist who starts receiving tomorrow’s newspaper today and finds herself in the complicated business of changing the news instead of reporting it.
Eve’s Beth is the Executive Producer of KSEA, a local Seattle TV news station. A journalist/investigative reporter since she was a kid, Beth is very focused on getting the story no matter what — which sometimes puts her at odds with her beloved mentor, Tommy, who believes that the most important thing about a story is the people and its human toll.
Interestingly, the original show did (sort of) explain the mystery behind the newspaper in the late Season 4 episode ‘Time’. It also suggested a young girl for Gary Hobson to pass the torch on to, so to speak, and it was a “Lindsey Romick” , not a “Beth”. We’d suggest this places us firmly in the land of reboot, rather than continuation like the upcoming Quantum Leap revival.
Alice Eve will be joined in the Early Edition pilot by Charles Michael Davis (NCIS: New Orleans), Jay Ali (Magnum P.I.) and Fiona Rene.
Alice Eve
Genre fans will doubtless know recognise the English actress Star Trek Into Darkness role; she plays the Kelvin timeline’s version of Dr Carol Marcus in the second Chris Pine-fronted movie. You may remember some unnecessary excitement over a certain underwear scene!
Eve has also appeared in Starter for Ten, The Decoy Bride and Men in Black 3. On television, she’s played roles in Entourage, Iron Fist, Belgravia and Black Mirror: Nosedive.
This new version of Early Edition is executive produced by Melissa Glenn. She’s joined by DeVon Franklin via Franklin Entertainment and Bob Brush, who developed the original show. Additionally, Franklin Entertainment’s Jenna Nicholson is a co-exec producer. The show is being produced for Sony Pictures Television and Affirm Television, in association with CBS Studios.
We’ll be following this one with interest.