NBC has cast David Boreanaz in the lead role of Jim Rockford for its reboot pilot of the classic detective series The Rockford Files. The project updates the 1970s drama with a contemporary storyline centered on the private investigator's return to work after wrongful imprisonment. Boreanaz, known for roles in Bones and SEAL Team, takes over the part originally played by James Garner.
David Boreanaz will star as Jim Rockford in NBC's reboot pilot for The Rockford Files, a contemporary update of the 1970s detective drama originally led by James Garner. The pilot, written and executive produced by Mike Daniels of Sons of Anarchy fame, follows Rockford as he is newly paroled after serving time for a crime he did not commit. He returns to his life as a private investigator in Los Angeles, using his charm and wit to solve cases, only to soon find himself targeted by local police and organized crime.
The character is described as a witty, world-weary and chronically broke private investigator whose charmingly gruff exterior masks a strong moral core. The original series aired for six seasons on NBC from 1974 to 1980, earning Emmys for best drama series in 1978 and best lead actor for Garner in 1976. Garner later reprised the role in six made-for-TV movies on CBS in the mid-1990s.
Boreanaz, whose breakout role was as the vampire Angel in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff Angel, gained further recognition as FBI Agent Seeley Booth across 12 seasons of Bones and as Master Chief Jason Hayes in seven seasons of SEAL Team. He has directed episodes of those series and served as a producer on Bones and an executive producer on SEAL Team. Boreanaz will also produce the Rockford pilot, alongside executive producers Carl Beverly and Sarah Timberman, with Chris Leanza as co-executive producer. Universal Television is the studio behind the project.
Previous reboot attempts include a 2009 NBC pilot starring Dermot Mulroney produced by Steve Carell, which did not proceed, and a planned feature film with Vince Vaughn that stalled. The new pilot was picked up by NBC in January, with production set to shoot in Atlanta despite the story's Los Angeles setting. Boreanaz was a popular reader choice for the role in a TVLine poll.
