Hot off his acclaimed turn as Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin in Marvel and Netflix’s Daredevil, Vincent D’Onofrio has snagged yet another villainous role – this time in Warner Bros.’ adaptation of the classic TV series CHiPs.
Dax Shepard and Michael Pena will take on the lead roles of motorcycling buddy cops Jon Baker and Frank Poncherello, who come up against a big-time ring of exotic car thieves led by a ruthless former cop (D’Onofrio). Shepard is also directing the pic, having already written the script from previous drafts by Paul Kaplan and Mark Torgove.
D’Onofrio is enjoying a second career wind thanks to the widespread acclaim his portrayal of the Daredevil villain has received. He spent a decade starring on Law and Order: Criminal Intent before that, but now his star is rising with a key role in this summer’s Jurassic World as well as a part in MGM’s blockbuster remake of The Magnificent Seven.
ChiPs originally aired from 1977 to 1983, and though it was a pretty standard cop procedural, the performances of its lead actors (originally Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox) endeared it to an entire generation of viewers. Though there have been failed attempts to recapture the lightning-in-a-bottle success of the original series, this new Warner Bros. take has a lot going for it, especially with Shepard (a distinctive comedic voice with successful comedies like Hit and Run under his belt) and Pena (a charismatic actor who has played cops to great success before in films like End of Watch) in front of the camera.
The addition of D’Onofrio, finally being recognized for the terrifically compelling thespian he is, just elevates the profile of what’s sure to be a heavily promoted venture from the studio.
CHiPs lacks a release date but production is being planned to start soon. We’ll bring you details on when that will be as soon as we have it.
