‘MacGyver’ Reboot Casts ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ Star Lucas Till

The MacGyver reboot is moving forward and driving that point home, CBS has announced that they have found their new leading man. Amid the disgruntled groans of MacGyver loyalists, the network revealed that they have cast Lucas Till of X-Men: Apocalypse fame to star in the role that once made Richard Dean Anderson a household name.

CBS Casts Lucas Till To Star As The Lead In A MacGyver Reboot

The original MacGyver series ran from 1985 through 1992 and starred Richard Dean Anderson in the title role. Some say it was Anderson himself who gave MacGyver his unique character and made the series such a popular hit, while others credit the character’s ingenuity for the popularity of the show. During an era filled with shows about glamorous private investigators and action heroes with both looks and fortunes, MacGyver was unique for his ability to save the day with whatever might be on hand. It wasn’t uncommon for MacGyver to overcome armed mercenaries with a roll of twine and a paperclip.

The decades-old question of whether it was the actor or the character himself will soon have an answer as another young actor prepares to take on the role.

Lucas Till, who was still just an infant as MacGyver was ending its seven-year run, will be taking on the starring role in the CBS reboot. Till made his mark as Alex Summers, A.K.A. Havoc in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) and again in X-Men: Apocalypse, which will see a May 18 release this year.

What Else Has Been Revealed About The New MacGyver Series?

Strictly speaking, CBS isn’t exactly rebooting MacGyver. The network chose to go another route, perhaps because it seemed unlikely that anyone could replace Anderson as the hero an entire generation has come to love and admire. Instead, the new MacGyver show will be a prequel, telling the story of how MacGyver came to be in the employ of the Phoenix Foundation.

As described in a statement from the network, this new MacGyver series will see Lucas Till’s character “recruited into the clandestine organization from the original series where he uses his knack for solving problems in unconventional ways to help prevent disasters from happening.”

More casting news reveals that George Eads of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation will also be joining MacGyver as a character named Lincoln, though little else is known about the role. It has been revealed that the Eads character will be something of a conspiracy theorist, but not too far gone, as he is also a high-ranking government official. Lincoln may be a precursor to Dana Elcar’s Pete Thorton, who served as a boss, mentor, and friend to Anderson’s MacGyver.

Behind the camera, James Wan has stepped down as the director of MacGyver‘s pilot episode, though Wan will remain on the project as an executive producer. CBS reports that James has a scheduling conflict, due to his obligations to The Conjuring 2, which is in post-production.

Instead, David Von Ancken (Code Black, Hell on Wheels, Tut) will direct the debut episode of the new MacGyver series.

Paul Downs Colaizzo, who is writing another pilot episode for CBS, titled LFE, will pen the script. Colaizzo will also executive produce MacGyver alongside Michael Clear, Henry Winkler, and Lee Zlotoff.

A MacGyver prequel may be a big draw, as a character as iconic as the one made famous by Richard Dean Anderson breeds interest in his back story and what brought him to become the hero of the original series. There may also be a compelling story in the origins of the Phoenix Foundation if writers for the new MacGyver series have the foresight to explore that avenue. Might there be a dark history in the past of the Phoenix Foundation?

[Image by Mark Davis/Getty Images]