Usually, when Hollywood turns old TV shows into movies, it's pretty lame.  But this is one of those rare cases where it could turn out AMAZING.

Because they're doing it to 'Manimal'...one of the most LEGENDARY TV shows of the '80s.

Now, when I say "legendary", I don't necessarily mean "good".  "Manimal" was a pretty cheesy show that only aired for EIGHT episodes back in 1983.  But if you were a kid back then, you thought it was AWESOME.

It was about Jonathan Chase . . . a rich playboy-type who helped the police solve crimes thanks to his ability to turn into ANY ANIMAL HE CHOSE.

Thanks to budgetary restrictions, he mostly turned into a black panther and a hawk.  But over the show's short run, he also morphed into a bear, a bull, a horse, a snake . . . and even a DOLPHIN.

Since he was a rich playboy-type, Jonathan always wore a suit.  And when he transformed back from animal to human, his clothes would mysteriously be right back on him.

The show still has kind of a cult following . . . and it's also survived as a pop culture punchline.  It's just one of those instances where a show's shortcomings have only made it seem MORE AWESOME in retrospect.

Don't believe me?  Check out the opening credits:

The show starred Simon MacCorkindale...who ended up on "Falcon Crest" the following year...and Melody Anderson, who played Dale in the "Flash Gordon" movie, another gloriously trashy classic from the '80s.

The movie will be a mix of live-action and CGI, not surprisingly.  There's no word yet on casting or a release date.

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