https://observer.com/2019/09/disney-hulu-shows-hardy-boys-in-development-details/
"The over-the-top platform is developing a one-hour Hardy Boys series based on the beloved source material created by Edward Stratemeyer, Observer has exclusively learned. The show will be a young adult and teen-oriented drama co-executive produced by Joan Lambur and Steve Cochrane. Jason Stone is set to direct. Hulu did not immediately respond to Observer's request for comment.
Specific plot details for the series are unknown at this time.
The original iteration of the characters, Frank and Joe Hardy, debuted in 1927 as teenage crime-solvers handling cases that stumped the adults in their lives. Since then, the characters have been reimagined several times while remaining successful staples of pop culture. Their books sell more than one million copies annually, per the New York Times, and the characters have appeared in five different television series as well as video games and merchandise. Their most recent small screen appearance came in the short-lived 1995 series The Hardy Boys.
The young adult and teen genre is an increasingly popular target demographic thanks to the success of hit series such as The CW's Riverdale and Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. The CW is actually set to debut a Nancy Drew TV series in October. The character was also created by Stratemeyer as the female counterpart to the Hardy Boys."
Thanks for the info. I also found similar news here (https://thedisinsider.com/2019/09/26/hardy-boys-series-in-the-works-at-hulu/?fbclid=IwAR3QB-3ZRn4lD97VbxLg3rKHrt4_uO8CrQje4kVTrD3VFGo_VuygyTVjDxk).
I know this sounds bad but I honestly groaned as soon as I saw this. At least it's not being done by The CW. After seeing what they're doing with Nancy Drew and what they've done with Archie Comics (and DC Comics for that matter), I don't really trust them to do right by established properties. Of course, I feel that way about all the networks today.
Still, I'll see how this goes. Maybe Hulu will do a good job. I don't think any show made will ever eclipse my love for The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries or be as good as that show.
I hope this show will be true to the original series of Hardy Boys books and not based off of more modern takes. A period piece set in the '50s or '60s (about when the revisions took place) and based on the plots of the books would be pretty cool to me. Unfortunately, I highly doubt that's what this show will be.
Well, I guess we'll just have to see how it goes and if it even goes to a pilot and gets picked up.
Okay- I read further and saw that Disney will oversee this after having taken ownership of Hulu. I don't know if I feel much better about that but maybe it will be somewhat decent then. At least it's fitting that the company that made the first Hardy Boys series take another crack at it almost 70 years later.
I hope it's decent too, but I can't help noticing previous co-director of Riverdale will be involved. :-\ Still, one of the Ransom co-producers will also co-produce this project. I haven't seen Ransom, and reading the synopsis it sounds like an interesting show.
Is this report accurate?
https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/news-story/9623118-the-hardy-boys-hulu-television-series-filming-in-port-hope-this-week/
I would have thought we would get some casting news before we got actual filming updates.
So this says the show is set in the 80s? https://www.cambridge.ca/Modules/News/index.aspx?page=2&newsId=76804826-092e-43ac-8472-a9eae33c3987
Is this a typo? Big difference in age. :-\
QuoteEach episode will feature 12 and 16 year old brothers Joe and Frank Hardy
Wow! Interesting. Frank and Joe are only 1 year apart in the books. I believe they were originally 16 and 15 in the original text books. After the revisions, they were 18 and 17.
Also- set in the '80s? Hmm.... I LOVE the '80s so I'm cool with that. :) 8) I wonder if they're going for a Stranger Things deal though.
Oh, wait- I just saw this. Bridgeport? If you're going to use a fictional city anyway, what happened to Bayport? Maybe this is supposed to be before they moved to Bayport and eventually the show will lead into that?....
https://worldscreen.com/tvkids/the-hardy-boys-live-action-series-in-the-works-for-ytv-hulu/
Bridgeport is supposedly the hometown of Laura Hardy (assuming her name is Laura in this series).
But it may not matter as she is reportedly dead and that death seems to be the starting point of this series.
They stay at an "aunt's" house while their father goes to figure out the case.
Anyway, here are some of the cast (all Canadian perhaps).
James Tupper (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0876805/) (Big Little Lies) as Hardy boys' father Fenton Hardy
Rohan Campbell (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3340982/) (Mech-X4) as Frank Hardy
Alexander Elliot (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10721835/) (Detention Adventure) as Joe Hardy.
The pictures of the actors would lead one to believe that one brother is significantly younger than the other.
I believe this is the official press release:
https://www.corusent.com/news/nelvana-and-lambur-productions/
So the boys are 16 and 12 in this series, which is odd, since the boys have never been that far apart. And Laura Hardy is Fenton's wife. It's hard to believe that Nelvana still had the rights to the series after all these years.
Also it looks like 13 episodes at a broadcast length of 60 minutes has been ordered. So the series will run longer than the 1995 series which had 13 episodes at 30 minutes.
Wow! I guess this is The Hardy Boys series Nelvana was talking about making a few years back until things fell silent on that front. I had kinda assumed that project was dead. Oh well. Despite the changes, this still sounds like it will be WAY better than what the CW is doing to Nancy Drew.
At least it's not on CW. 8)
It will be on YTV here in Canada. YTV aired the 1995 series back in the summer of 2006 as a promotion for the DVD's and as a summer replacement series. And YTV and Nelvana are both owned by Corus Entertainment, both now and in 2006.
Quote from: Raven on November 07, 2019, 06:28:00 PM
At least it's not on CW. 8)
Well, I don't have "hulu". So the question now arises, do I get the packaged deal with Disney+ to get Hulu?
Quote from: Raven on November 07, 2019, 06:28:00 PM
At least it's not on CW. 8)
Yeah, gosh if it was, ugh... :o
So I see there are some cast lists showing up on imdb for the first 13 episodes. And it starts to make one think that the typical "chums" are not going to be so typical (assuming IMDB is accurate).
Episode 1 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11295304/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_1):
Rohan Campbell... Frank Hardy
Sean Patrick Dolan... Ern Cullmore
Ric Garcia... Stefan
Stephen R. Hart... Tall Man
Jennifer Hsiung... Jesse Hooper
Jordan Kronis... Cory
Keana Lyn... Callie Shaw
Tyler Murree... Aucoin
Cristian Perri... Phil Cohen
Janet Porter... Laura Hardy
Bea Santos... Trudy Hardy
Adam Swain... Chet Morton
Linda Thorson... Gloria Esterbrook
So it looks like we get a female Asian Jesse Hooper. Is this a relative of Biff or a replacement for Biff?
And Chet looks to be black and skinny.
Odd that no Joe is on the list. So with any IMDB listings, maybe take these with a grain of salt.
It's possible Joe hasn't been cast yet but it seems like surely that would be one of the first roles secured.
Also, I notice that Aunt Gertrude is referred to as Trudy Hardy. I suppose this means this series is possibly drawing on the Undercover Brothers series for inspiration? (Does Aunt Gertrude also appear as Aunt Trudy in the Adventures books?)
Aunt Gertrude is called Trudy in the Adventures.
Thanks for the confirmation.
No Fenton Hardy? I thought his character's already been assigned.
Has there been confirmation that Fenton Hardy is indeed in this series? (I would hope so but you never know.)
Quote from: MacGyver on February 12, 2020, 08:27:12 AM
Has there been confirmation that Fenton Hardy is indeed in this series? (I would hope so but you never know.)
From the original announcement, I can't imagine how they can get away without having Fenton at least a little bit in the story, but I guess they can just explain it away as already having happened.
QuoteAfter the tragic death of their mother, Frank Hardy, 16, and his brother Joe, 12, are moved from the big city to their mother's hometown of Bridgeport for the summer. Their father, Fenton, is convinced his wife Laura's death was no accident and leaves the boys with their aunt as he chases down a lead. Frank and Joe set out to solve the mystery themselves only to find the secret runs deeper than they could have ever imagined. The task of fitting into their new environment is made even harder when the boys begin to believe their mother's killer is in Bridgeport and suddenly everyone in town is a suspect!
In the 95 series the boys were 22 & 20, so Fenton didn't need to be in it.
Yeah- even though he did finally show up toward the end of the series. I think this show will likely have Fenton on there but maybe it will just be a recurring role, which could be why he's not listed as part of the cast.
Yeah, with the boys bring 16 & 12 in this series, and Aunt Trudy apparently taking care of them, it sounds like Fenton won't be a regular.
The actor that is playing Fenton Hardy in the upcoming Hulu tv series gives an interview for his various work, including the upcoming Hardy Boys show. The Hardy Boys part starts at the 17:45 mark
https://www.imdb.com/video/vi1249230617
A few highlights:
The brothers will be separated by age.
It will be 13 episodes, but one mystery.
Hulu wanted a show in a Riverdale or Stranger Things style.
Chet is in the show.
Fenton might get kidnapped.
Maybe released this summer (but this was recorded before Covid)
Interesting. Thanks for the update. Hopefully it will be good. (And I would vote for more like Stranger Things and less like Riverdale.)
Oh, I recognize this actor. He was in Emma Fielding Mysteries at Hallmark Channel, playing as an FBI agent. :D
Quote from: SkyWarp on June 02, 2020, 03:57:48 PM
The actor that is playing Fenton Hardy in the upcoming Hulu tv series gives an interview for his various work, including the upcoming Hardy Boys show. The Hardy Boys part starts at the 17:45 mark
https://www.imdb.com/video/vi1249230617
A few highlights:
The brothers will be separated by age.
It will be 13 episodes, but one mystery.
Hulu wanted a show in a Riverdale or Stranger Things style.
Chet is in the show.
Fenton might get kidnapped.
Maybe released this summer (but this was recorded before Covid)
Hopefully this won't be like the current Nancy Drew series on the CW.
It looks like The Hardy Boys have been made younger on this show so I feel like it will be different and more aimed at kids. I could be wrong but that's just the feeling I'm getting, especially since Nelvana is producing it.
The latest information I have found for this series is that it will debut later this year (perhaps fall at the earliest) according to a conference call report (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/edited-transcript-cjrb-earnings-conference-204246436.html) on June 26. The part of interest is quoted here:
QuoteSeven new and returning series have been announced, including the long anticipated live-action mystery drama reboot of The Hardy Boys, which will debut on YTV this fall and on Hulu in the U.S. later this year.
Thanks for the update. I don't have Hulu so hopefully the series will eventually be available elsewhere, like on DVD.
Found this today: https://people.com/tv/hardy-boys-hulu-first-trailer-exclusive/ (https://people.com/tv/hardy-boys-hulu-first-trailer-exclusive/)
I just saw the trailer. A lot of things going on here. None of this is what I expected. Not sure what to think yet. I need to watch the trailer again.
So looks like the show will be using the Casefiles logo. I thought Frank might work, but Joe at 12, and that kid looks more like an 8 year old, so I'm not sure. Especially the scene with the truck—-at 16 Frank would just be old enough to drive—-and here in Ontario you need a fully licensed driver next to you. I don't know about in the States, but yeah I'm getting a feeling that the series is trying to adopt some of the original series and the Clues Brothers/Secret Files. I think that's why in the books Frank & Joe are 18 & 17, since that way they are legal driver's wherever.
Quote from: tomswift2002 on November 09, 2020, 09:04:12 PM
So looks like the show will be using the Casefiles logo. I thought Frank might work, but Joe at 12, and that kid looks more like an 8 year old, so I'm not sure. Especially the scene with the truck—-at 16 Frank would just be old enough to drive—-and here in Ontario you need a fully licensed driver next to you. I don't know about in the States, but yeah I'm getting a feeling that the series is trying to adopt some of the original series and the Clues Brothers/Secret Files. I think that's why in the books Frank & Joe are 18 & 17, since that way they are legal driver's wherever.
Weren't they 15 and 16 in the original text? That I can see, but 12, no way will that work.
(I posted this on another thread but I'll just repost my thoughts here.)
Thanks for posting the trailer. I find it really interesting that the show is using The Hardy Boys Casefiles logo when it looks like it should be using the Clues Brothers logo.
Maybe they're trying to use the Tim Considine/Tommy Kirk model ala The Mickey Mouse Club? (Just in regards to the apparent height and age difference.)
I hope it will be better than the 2019 Nancy Drew in terms of morality but quality and story-wise, it looks rather iffy to me.
I'll certainly give it a try. It has a "Stranger Things" vibes to it. I noticed the cars looked like 70s/80s models to me, and the radio with the cassette deck. :)
Quote from: Katie on November 09, 2020, 10:09:54 PM
Weren't they 15 and 16 in the original text? That I can see, but 12, no way will that work.
They were 15 and 16 in the Original Texts from the 1920's, but since the 1930's, and even in the rewrites the boys were aged to 17 and 18 so that they could be legal drivers in any state or country.
Quote from: tomswift2002 on November 10, 2020, 08:34:04 AM
They were 15 and 16 in the Original Texts from the 1920%u2019s, but since the 1930%u2019s, and even in the rewrites the boys were aged to 17 and 18 so that they could be legal drivers in any state or country.
I just don't like the age gap. One year is fine, but this, even the adventure series seems better then this!
Quote from: Raven on November 10, 2020, 04:09:42 AMI'll certainly give it a try. It has a "Stranger Things" vibes to it. I noticed the cars looked like 70s/80s models to me, and the radio with the cassette deck. :)
If they were 17 and 18 like in the casefiles, i mean they are using the logo from that series, then that would be fine! If they were doing a casefile series or something.
I'm still interested to check it out, of course. I just wish all these changes hadn't been made. I'd prefer a TV series that stayed true to the books and actually adapted the stories. A Casefiles-esque series would be cool but I kind of regard the 1990s Hardy Boys show as that, especially since the stars of that show were actually on the covers of a number of the books.
I think a series based on the revised first 58, set somewhere in the '50s or '60s would be pretty neat.
Quote from: MacGyver on November 10, 2020, 05:08:59 PM
I'm still interested to check it out, of course. I just wish all these changes hadn't been made. I'd prefer a TV series that stayed true to the books and actually adapted the stories. A Casefiles-esque series would be cool but I kind of regard the 1990s Hardy Boys show as that, especially since the stars of that show were actually on the covers of a number of the books.
I think a series based on the revised first 58, set somewhere in the '50s or '60s would be pretty neat.
Why are they using the Casefile logo, then, if this isn't a Casefile series?
I don't know. The show may draw some inspiration from the Casefiles but already the ages are wrong, along with the setting. The age factor particularly throws off much chance of them having the kind of adventures Frank and Joe have in the Casefiles books.
The best answer is that we'll just have to wait and see.
So according to IMDB (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11252090/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt), Biff Hooper is a girl, and Chet is black. The promo poster says all 13 episodes will be available on 4th December.
The way I see it, the use of Casefiles logo is to draw the Hardy Boys fans, and it is a recognizable logo.
Quote from: Katie on November 10, 2020, 10:46:49 PM
Why are they using the Casefile logo, then, if this isn't a Casefile series?
Either because they knew it would be recognizable to Casefiles fans and wanted to get their attention or it was just easier to not create a brand new logo and they liked this one the best. Or both.
And honestly, there aren't really many other logos per say. They are just words spread out over a long distance on the cover. That doesn't work so well for a logo. Hmmmmm, maybe I should try to get all the logos in one place so we can see them together.
They are some recognizable Hardy Boys logos and artwork from the various series- and even more if you look internationally. I feel sure the Casefiles logo fit best with the tone they were trying to hit.
Quote from: Raven on November 11, 2020, 04:06:43 AM
So according to IMDB (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11252090/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt), Biff Hooper is a girl, and Chet is black. The promo poster says all 13 episodes will be available on 4th December.
The way I see it, the use of Casefiles logo is to draw the Hardy Boys fans, and it is a recognizable logo.
Thanks for this tidbit. I can't say I'm surprised. I wish TV shows would just stick to the books. If the show wanted to have more female characters, why not utilize already existing ones like Iola Morton? (And if this is supposed to be set in the Casefiles universe, there are also Vanessa Bender and Liz Webber.)
And if the show was going to have a black character, it would have been nice to see Jamal Hawkins appear, even though he only appeared in the Digests.
Of course, if the show is making an amalgamation, it would be really cool to see Pete Jones show up from the cartoon series.
I see that Callie Shaw is appearing on the show, along with Aunt Gertrude, though she's listed as Trudy Hardy, in keeping with the Undercover Brothers/Adventures books. And Phil Cohen is in it too but the actor doesn't seem to be Jewish.
It is at least nice that most of The Hardy Boys' chums are making an appearance. I just hope the storylines are decent, even with all the changes.
When you think of logos, the Grosset & Dunlap series used a number of variations of the boys profile from 1933-1987 (from 1927-1932 it was a shield on the red binginds then the brown bindings from 1933-1962 had the lightning logo). Wanderer has the window logo and the "Swamp Monster" logo, and then they started the "bookmark" style logo (1985-1996). The Minstrel books had the Circle logo that ran from #136-160 (1996-2000), then the remaining books had the file folder logo.
The Casefiles has 3 logos, the "stretched Y" logo as I call it (1987-1995, #'s 1-104), the 1995 TV "scribble" logo (1995-1997, #'s105-121) and finally the "stamp" logo (1997-1998, #'s122-127).
Quote from: tomswift2002 on November 11, 2020, 05:57:40 PM
The Casefiles has 3 logos, the "stretched Y" logo as I call it (1987-1995, #'s 1-104), the 1995 TV "scribble" logo (1995-1997, #'s105-121) and finally the "stamp" logo (1997-1998, #'s122-127).
And of course the "squibble" logo is what was used for the tv show last time by the same company as this time around.
I think the "scribble" logo might've been designed and made by Nelvana and then S&S used it for marketing. I'll have to look at a copyright page from one of those books, but I think besides photo credit they also get logo credit.
I just checked. Starting in #107 Fast Break, Nelvana gets a credit on the copyright page for the logo as well as the cover photograph.
Here are couple behind the scenes and promotional videos for the show:
The Hardy Boys Actors try to escape from a real Escape Room (https://www.ytv.com/shows/the-hardy-boys/video/the-hardy-boys-escape-room-featurette/813b3c7e-33ea-11eb-a986-0242ac110003/) They also compare the show to Indiana Jones at the end of this video.
Behind the Scenes Set Tour (https://www.ytv.com/shows/the-hardy-boys/video/the-hardy-boys-bts-set-tour/d22634e8-33ec-11eb-bf3d-0242ac110003/)
Thanks for the links. I've watched those. They're short but fun. :) 8)
Quote from: SkyWarp on December 29, 2020, 05:08:42 PM
Here are couple behind the scenes and promotional videos for the show:
The Hardy Boys Actors try to escape from a real Escape Room (https://www.ytv.com/shows/the-hardy-boys/video/the-hardy-boys-escape-room-featurette/813b3c7e-33ea-11eb-a986-0242ac110003/) They also compare the show to Indiana Jones at the end of this video.
Behind the Scenes Set Tour (https://www.ytv.com/shows/the-hardy-boys/video/the-hardy-boys-bts-set-tour/d22634e8-33ec-11eb-bf3d-0242ac110003/)
I hope these will be included as Bonus Features in the DVDs.
Agreed. Of course, I also hope there will even be a DVD release of this series.