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When one looks in the box, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the cat.

Reactor

Warriors, come out to plaa-aay!

Very soon you’ll be hearing that eerie call on the small screen, as Joe and Anthony Russo (co-directors of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War) are adapting the 1979 cult classic, about rival street gangs in 1970s New York City, for television. Though whether the adaptation’s Luther—he of the scraping bottles and even more grating voice—can stand up to the original is anyone’s guess.

Partnering with Paramount TV and Hulu, the Russo brothers, working off a script by Frank Baldwin, will direct the one-hour drama. Like the movie, The Warriors TV series will depict a dystopian New York City controlled by roving gangs of youths all grappling for control of the city. When Cyrus, leader of the Gramercy Riffs, calls for a peace summit, he is murdered and our scrappy heroes the Warriors framed. Set upon by all of the city’s gangs, they must escape to their home turf of Coney Island for safety.

As Walter Hill’s 1979 film was adapted from the novel by Sol Yurick, one would imagine that the Russos and Baldwin might return to the source material as well. Deadline notes that “[t]heir take will honor the original film while adding its own unique brand of grit, pulp, sex and violence.” To which we say—please, don’t make this TV show super gritty. Like, sure, do a better job with the female characters; there can be better representation than the girl from the Orphans who falls for one of the Warriors, or the city’s sole female gang the Lizzies, who use their sexuality to gain the upper hand.

What we really want to see is how ridiculous the gangs’ outfits are, like the Baseball Furies:

The Warriors adaptation TV Russo brothers

Or, you know, whatever new gangs might have sprung up in the intervening decades. Like the Hipsters, or the Lumberjacks. To refresh your memory, here’s the trailer for the original:

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Natalie Zutter

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