Ghost to be Deadly on the Small Screen

[dropcap]P[/dropcap]hantoms, a psychic and a humble potter’s wheel are to be combined to deadly effect once more, as the spirit of the 1990 hit movie Ghost (see what we did there?) is to be recaptured for TV.

A pilot will be penned by Akiva Goldman, who won a best adapted screenplay Oscar for A Beautiful Mind, and Jeff Pinkner. The search for cast members has yet to begin.

The touching tale, which has also been turned into a successful musical, tells of a murdered banker who returns from beyond the grave to try to warn his fiancé, with the help of a psychic, that she is in great danger. It is infamous for that pottery wheel scene, which unfolds to the strains of The Righteous Brothers’ Unchained Melody – what price a return to the charts?!

Ghost deftly combined romance, comedy, horror and suspense, so it was no surprise that the film was nominated for a total of five Oscars. It managed to win in two categories, most notably earning Whoopi Goldberg the gong for best supporting actress for her turn as outrageous psychic Oda Mae Brown. Whilst Demi Moore and the late Patrick Swayze both turned in fine performances, it was Goldberg that really stood out.

But, as the unsuccessful launch of a Beverly Hills Cop series earlier this year proved, trading off a big-name flick is no guarantee. In the wake of this, however, it would seem that Paramount, the studio for this latest venture, have decided not to rest on their laurels and have created a TV division devoted entirely to adapting classic movies for the small screen. Ghost should, hopefully, be the first of many that go beyond the pilot stage.

There is no production or release date slated as yet, but in the meantime which films do you think should receive the TV treatment? Let us know!