Sony Revives Iconic 50-Year-Old Action Franchise With New Movie in the Works

The Angels are suiting up again: Sony Pictures is developing a new Charlie’s Angels movie, reigniting the 50-year-old, female-led action franchise born on 1970s TV and rebooted on the big screen multiple times.

Sony is revving up another Charlie's Angels movie. Early days, but the studio has a writer on deck and some familiar names circling behind the scenes. If this thing lands, it would be the next chapter in a franchise that started on TV in the 70s, blew up at the box office in the 2000s, and keeps finding new ways to suit up.

So, who is writing it?

Pete Chiarelli is handling the screenplay. He co-wrote the adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians and wrote The Proposal, which gives you a sense of his studio-friendly chops. Casting and a director are still question marks.

Who is producing?

No official producers yet. Industry chatter says Drew Barrymore could return via her Flower Films banner. That would make sense: Barrymore produced and starred in the two early-2000s movies that turned Angels into a global box office play. Sony is keeping quiet for now.

How we got here

The original TV series ran on ABC from 1976 to 1981 and quickly became pop-culture shorthand. Three elite private investigators took assignments from the never-seen Charlie Townsend, who piped in through a speakerphone, with Bosley running point. Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, and Jaclyn Smith became household names off that setup.

• 2000: Columbia Pictures (part of Sony) launched the first film with Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu, directed by McG. It made $264.1 million worldwide, roughly $493 million in today’s dollars.
• 2003: A sequel followed, keeping the trio and the glossy, wire-fu energy.
• 2011: ABC tried another TV reboot; it lasted seven episodes.
• 2019: Elizabeth Banks directed a new feature starring Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska. The Townsend Agency was reimagined as a globe-spanning security outfit. The movie struggled to connect at the box office.

Where this new movie might go

It is very early, which is Hollywood-speak for: a script first, then the hard stuff. The big swing will be tone. Do they chase the candy-colored, pop-action vibe that worked in 2000, or the broader spy-world angle from 2019? Bringing Barrymore back as a producer would signal a tilt toward the crowd-pleasing version that actually sold tickets. Either way, the brand still carries name recognition most franchises would kill for.

For now, file it under: developing, with a proven studio writer and an open runway.