MacGyver Reboot Update #20

Disclaimer: My original guest-post was first published on The MacGyver Project on January 6, 2017. I made some minor changes (e.g. grammar or source corrections, link corrections, additional pictures) before re-posting it on my own blog for safe-keeping.

Production of the reboot was on hiatus until a few days ago. Cast and Crew are ready to film the residual episodes for Season 1.

Episode 1×11: Scissors (via CBS)

(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered by reading this post or by clicking on the links provided!)

Holiday Hiatus
Cast and Crew enjoyed a short break over Christmas to spend some well-earned time with families and friends. CBS therefore posted the MacGyver Holiday Survival Guide and a short video of Lucas Till and George Eads wishing us Happy Holidays.

More people took the opportunity to share pictures of the SAK they got as a Christmas Gift; e.g. Tristin Mays, Technical Consultant Rhett Allain, Dana Till (Lucas’ mom), Boom Operator Robert Maxfield or Camera Operator Tiko Pavoni.

For the end of the year, FlyWorx shared an old video of filming Episode 2 (Metal Saw) with their impressive drones.

Working on Episode 15
On January 4, production started again – presumably on filming Episode 15 while working behind the scenes for Episodes 12 to 14. Assistant Director Anthony Kountz was happy to be back on set.

via Anthony Kountz

Executive Producer Peter Lenkov posted several short videos on Instagram Stories while editing Episode 12 (Screwdriver). Fans of the show were quick to save the temporary videos and share it online. Lenkov also posted some non-temporary videos; e.g. of MacGyver and Jack’s exes meeting or of Riley and Bozer with Murdoc.

Tristin Mays and Justin Hires also shared some (more or less) sneaky temporary videos from Set while Lucas posted the first semi-official picture of MacGyver and Bozer in the Phoenix Foundation Lab. Justin Hires revealed what Bozer going undercover looks like: Very convincing (ahem). Bozer did much better by working on Riley’s undercover face, though. Now we know why there’s a contact lens technician listed on IMDb for tonight’s episode.

via Lucas Till

Despite a snow warning for Atlanta, they’ve been filming at the Fox Theatre for another night shoot. As Peter Lenkov revealed, this episode will be quite dangerous for Riley.

Reruns of Episodes 5, 6 and 7
CBS aired Reruns over the Christmas Holidays. The ratings of Episode 5 (Toothpick, 2.52 millions) took quite a hit due to NFL Sunday Football Night, though. The ratings of Episode 6 (Wrench, 4.24 millions) on a Wednesday and Episode 7 (Can Opener, 4.53 millions) on a Friday did better.

Coincidentally, I stumbled over an old BtS pic by Andres Munoz during production of Episode 7 that shows how strong the grips working on this show really are.

As Belle revealed, there will to be a rerun of Episode 9 (Chisel) on Friday, January 27. So another Friday without a new episode, I guess?

Episode 1×07: Can Opener (via Andres Munoz)

Stills, Sneak Peeks and Press Releases
We got stills and a first trailer for Episode 12 (Screwdriver) on December 30. SpoilerTV also revealed the titles for Episode 15 (Magnifying Glass) and Episode 16 (Hook).

On January 5, CBS released a scene with Amy Acker as a first Sneak Peek for Episode 12. As predicted in Update No. 17 back in November, Jack’s Ex Sarah Adler is getting married and Jack is NOT happy. The other Sneak Peek has Jack being interrogated while under the influence of a truth serum.

Interviews
In an interview with The Press Enterprise, Tristin Mays talked about her role of Riley Davis. She revealed that her character’s clothes are all her own.

Since Lucas Till has a new movie coming out soon, we can expect to see and hear some promo with him during the next few days. In an interview with Parade, Lucas talked about the grueling shooting days, doing his own stunts and the reboot giving him the chance to play a “full-blown adult” for once.

Episode 1×12: Screwdriver (via CBS)

Cast, Crew and Character News
In tonight’s Episode 12, we will meet all recurring characters again: Murdoc, Nikki and Sarah. Even Murdoc (aka David Dastmalchian) is exited for this event.

Central Casting Georgia has been looking for more policemen. Things that make you go *hmmmm*: Stage & Set has made a casting call for a woman looking like being at high shool age to portray “the best friend to one of our lead actors”. More flashbacks for MacGyver, maybe?

MacGyver Reboot Update #18

Disclaimer: My original guest-post was first published on The MacGyver Project on December 8, 2016. I made some minor changes (e.g. grammar or source corrections, link corrections, additional pictures) before re-posting it on my own blog for safe-keeping.

While CBS was taking a break and airing reruns, cast and crew were working on more episodes.

via MacGyver on CBS

(Spoiler Alert: To avoid spoilers, I won’t post any pictures that are too revealing, but you will get spoilered by reading this post or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

Getting into the Christmas Spirit
While cast and crew were working to wrap up more episodes before Christmas Break, the audience had to wait two weeks for new episodes. Meanwhile, CBS launched a new look for their shows on social media. The Reboot also got a new header and a new icon on November 28.

Additionally, CBS started a look back at some of their favorite tv-show-moments this year. The Reboot makes an appearance in their show-reels for “Stunts” and “Bromance“.

Working on Episodes 10, 11, 12 and 13
Executive Director Peter Lenkov shared a picture of MacGyver and Jack on a road trip and of Jack with a female character – a character who’s name Lenkov didn’t want to reveal yet. He did reveal that he had lunch with Henry Winkler, though. Also, Jack seems to drive a green minivan now.

Lucas Till shared another picture of MacGyver doing bad, bad things – this time of posing with terrorists. Lucas is also seen in a picture with Extra Lyman Chen, who complimented cast and crew as being one of the friendliest he had ever had the pleasure to work with. Chen is listed for Episode 11 and it looks like there are Ninja Swords involved.

via Lyman Chen

Tracy Spiridakos shared what Amy Acker and the rest of the cast is up to between set ups. Meanwhile, the script writers were busy playing with drones or testing handcuffs – hopefully for new MacGyverisms. Amiah Miller shared a picture of herself doing voice-over work for this week’s Episode 10.

A1 Management Group posted a short video of Sandrine Holt filming a scene in a hotel with a tactical team. They also shared pictures of the military guys having fun posing for pictures.

We got a first look at a glossy black helicopter (probably for Episode 13) and at the lady pilot (played by Zulay Henao) that will likely crash it. Feels like MacGyver and Jack will come to rescue her, though. The helicopter must have made quite an impression on set – several crew members (e.g. Cornell Willis or RoxPaul) and the grip crew shared pictures.

via Steven Serna

Lucky bypassers got to see cast and crew filming scenes with said helicopter on a rooftop in Downtown Atlanta on December 7. According to Todd Edwards who posted some pictures on Facebook, MacGyver gets beaten up, wrapped in blue tarp and tossed in – and then people start shooting at the chopper. Apparently the heavily armed “terrorists” looked so real that they scared the office workers in the building.

This week, the crew had to endure a few days of shooting outside under heavy rain. Several crew members posted pictures of their muddy shoes or of themselves in wet gear.

Let’s get technical
Technical Consultant Rhett Allain wrote another piece on MacGyverisms – this time about “How to make an UV-light out of your phone’s LED flash” as seen in Episode 8 (Corkscrew). Additionally, he appeared on the “Lab Out Loud Podcast” on November 28, talking a bit about working on the show.

Allain also gave some insights for an article on Popular Science about “5 MacGyver Hacks you should try at home” (laser microphone, fire starter, soda bottle gas mask, DIY eye in the sky and Leyden jar battery) and “2 you really shouldn’t” (car battery arc welder and thermite lance). I honestly don’t remember some of these MacGvyerisms – so either I’m getting old and forgetful, they were from deleted scenes or the episodes haven’t aired yet.

Reruns of Episodes 3 and 4
During the break, CBS aired reruns of Episode 3 (Awl, 4.09 millions) on Friday and Episode 4 (Wire Cutter, 4.61 millions) on Sunday. For the occasion, script writer John Turman shared a new BtS-pic from Episode 4.

Episode 1×04: Wire Cutter (via John Turman)

I’ve been wondering why CBS chose these two episodes to draw new viewers in. To catch up on the backstories of the recurring female characters (mainly Nikki, but also Riley or Amy Acker’s character Sarah Adler), the pilot (The Rising) and Episode 2 (Metal Saw) would have probably made more sense – but the ratings of these two episodes are also the lowest on IMDb.

Stills and Press Releases
SpoilerTV provided us with press releases and/or official stills for Episode 10 (Pliers) and 11 (Scissors). They also revealed the title for Episode 12: “Screwdriver”. Stills and Synopsis for Episode 10 remind me a bit of the “Ugly Duckling” Episode of the original show.

Interestingly, Episode 11 will be directed by Stephen Herek. Many, many years ago, Herek had directed the unaired pilot episode for “Young MacGyver”. Considering how many people – mainly “Supernatural” Fans – are still commenting and being confused about Lucas looking like a young Jared Padalecki, I found this kinda funny.

Episode 1×10: Pliers (via SpoilerTV)

Sneak Peeks and Previews
We finally got a preview and three sneak peeks of Episode 10 (Pliers) on December 7. It seems like the storyline will focus a bit more on the friendship between MacGyver and Jack – or the so-called “bromance” that has been advertized endlessly in the promo cycle before the premiere of the Pilot Episode.

Cast, Crew and Character News
Central Casting Georgia has made some more casting calls; e.g. for men who’ve had tactical defense and gun training; for Mom, Dad, and a 6 year old blonde girl to portray a family and for a “short Caucasian female” between the height of 4′ 3″ to 4′ 11″. The agency stated that this would be a regular stand in gig, working until mid-March. So it seems like there will be a young recurring character – does New MacGyver have a half-sister, maybe?

As Matt Webb Mitovich revealed back in November, we will get to know more about Jack’s love life next year. This fits with the picture by Peter Lenkov and the synopsis for Episode 11, because we will meet Riley’s mother.

Fans getting inspired
The Reboot has already inspired many fans to share their art, stories, collages and videos; especially during the break. Because FanFictionNet counts the reboot within the same category as the original show, we only know the total amount of stories (379). On Archive of Our Own, the reboot has its own category and hit the story count of the magical 100 on December 6.

MacGyver Reboot Update #17

Disclaimer: My original guest-post was first published on The MacGyver Project on November 25, 2016. I made some minor changes (e.g. grammar or source corrections, link corrections, additional pictures) before re-posting it on my own blog for safe-keeping.

While the reboot is taking a break and airing reruns, cast and crew are working on the mid-season finale. Also, Amy Acker and Tracy Spiridakos are back on set!

via Gabriel Beristain

(Spoiler Alert: To avoid spoilers, I won’t post any pictures that are too revealing, but you will definitely get spoilered by reading this post or by clicking on the links provided!)

Working towards Christmas Break
As I mentioned before, we don’t see much exclusive stuff anymore from the main cast. They’re busy bees to wrap up the initially ordered episodes before Christmas Break. As Tristin Mays revealed on Twitter, they’re often still filming while the new episodes air and don’t get to see the premiere.

Lucas Till posted more pictures of MacGyver doing bad, bad things like aiming a gun and being friendly with terrorists. Of course, this led to David Dastmalchian pulling out a big gun of his own (ahem, this doesn’t look as R-rated as it sounds). Tristin shared that Episode 9 (Chisel) has been her favorite episode to film so far besides Episode 4 (Wire Cutter).

Justin Hires’ Stand-In Kevin Marshall Pinkney posted a picture of him sitting in a 60’s Volkswagon while working on Episode 12. Guess we just got to see Bozer’s car? Interesting choice!

via Peter Lenkov

On November 14, Just Jared shared paparazzi pictures of Lucas on set. As several crew members (e.g. Cornell Willis or Kait C.) revealed, they were filming in a church on November 21. Thanks to Camera Operator Tiko Pavoni, we got a glimpse at MacGyver’s “back yard”.

Brian Durkin revealed how the writer’s crew tested MacGyver’s escape in Episode 8 (Corkscrew). The script writers also provided the original diagram of the Chinese Lantern Surveillance Drone in Episode 9 (Chisel) and the math equations that Tech Advisor Rhett Allain did to estimate how much paper MacGyver would need to stop a bullet.

On November 11, Lucas’ Mom had visited the set. She shared some pictures on social media. While filming outside on November 14, the set got visited by an elementary class. Learning about TV production directly from cast and crew on set is sure more interesting and memorable than regular class!

via MacGyverWriters

Premieres of Episodes 8 and 9
As expected, Episode 8 (Corkscrew, 7.65 million) got better ratings than the previous episode – although they weren’t as high as I expected (it was the return of beloved Murdoc, after all). Overall, New Murdoc’s first appearance was well received on Twitter and even got praise by Original Murdoc Michael Des Barres.

The most recent Episode 9 (Chisel, 8.12 million) made the third-highest ratings of this season.

Upcoming Episodes
SpoilerTV provided us with a press release for Episode 10 (Pliers – although thanks to the Phoenix Foundation Podcast, that episode will always be “Pilers” to me). Episode 10 will air on December 9 because the show is taking a break and CBS airs reruns on Fridays instead. Tonight, they will show Episode 3 (Awl).

Looking at the surprisingly high ratings from last week, I’m not sure if it’s a wise decision having a break of 3 weeks, now with so many people stating on social media that the episodes are getting better and that they finally started to like the show.

Interviews, Articles and other Promo
On November 16, CBS uploaded some more BtS-pictures; mainly from Episode 7 (Can Opener). They also provided a Survival Guide for Thanksgiving. The CBS Watch! Magazine provided another picture of their photoshoot with Lucas and George for #ManCrushMonday.

via CBS Watch! Magazine

ET Online visited Lucas Till in his Hometown. We got to meet his mom, his younger brother and a high school friend. In an interview with TVLine, Lucas talked about Nikki, Murdoc and his favorite MacGyverism.

The soundbites aren’t new, but in an interview with TV Insider posted on November 25, Executive Producer Peter Lenkov affirmed that he’s still planning on a crossover with Hawaii Five-O.

In case you wondered what had happened to the huge Wall Painting on Hotel Figueroa in LA that was made back in the first promo wave: It got painted over with an ad for Apple’s iPhone.

Cast, Crew and Character News
Central Casting Georgia has made several casting calls; e.g. for men who are trained with guns, for business men and women who own expensive luggage, for wedding guests, groomsmen and bridesmaids and for hispanic looking males with upscale wedding guest style attire.

The masks of the Asian General and George Washington were made by Larry Torro. He provided a picture of the president’s mask from Episode 8 on Instagram. I think the masks look very good and I really hope we’ll see more of them, now that Bozer has joined the team.

via Larry Torro

Amy Acker recently revealed at a convention in Asia that she will be back on the show. On November 18, Peter Lenkov posted footage of a scene of Amy’s character Sarah with Jack; confirming that she’s already been filming her scenes. On the same day, Tracy Spiridakos posted a picture on Instagram that confirmed she was also back on set.

Interestingly, Preston James Hillier (who’s played Amy’s boyfriend / fiancé Jeff on Episode 2) also tweeted on that day; saying that he enjoyed to work with Lucas and George again. What’s even more interesting is a comment on that tweet that was later removed (after I pointed out to this person that this tweet might be a spoiler – you’ve been warned!).

The deleted tweet complimented Preston and made a statement about being a proud mother of the groom. We already know that there will be a wedding scene in this season and that they’ve been filming in a church; so I’ll predict that Jack will get his heart broken in the mid-season finale (for now, Preston is listed for Episode 12 on IMDb).

MacGyver Reboot Update #10

Disclaimer: My original guest-post was first published on The MacGyver Project on September 6, 2016. I made some minor changes (e.g. grammar or source corrections, link corrections, additional pictures) before re-posting it on my own blog for safe-keeping.

Less than three weeks until the Premiere! Filming continues while the promo cycle goes on. The huge wall paintings ad is finished and garners lots of attention. Also, we got more preview trailers!

via Lucas Till

(Spoiler Alert: To avoid spoilers, I won’t post any revealing pictures, but you will get spoilered by reading this post or by clicking on the links provided!)

Working on Episodes 3, 4 and 5
Filming continued for Episodes 3 and 4 and they already started on Episode 5 (called “Toothpick“), directed by Bobby Roth (Revenge, Agents of Shield). On September 4, he shared a picture of him with Tristin Mays on set.

Several extras shared pictures of themselves in military gear; e.g. Derek Bosworth or Thomas Murphy. Stills Photographer Erika Doss revealed her own dresscode.

Extra Mark Stevens granted us another glimpse of the interior set with New MacGyver’s home. Hopefully, it’s not as dark as “Bunker City” like this picture that Lucas Till shared on September 1.

Location Scout Gonzo Rey showed a picture of him sitting on a “throne” on set – in fact, several of the cast and crew took turns to pose with the prop (apparently an old shroud from a commercial jet engine). Maybe they tried to distract us from the Russian nuclear bomb in the Lifecycle Building Center? Good thing the bomb is constantly guarded by May. 

via lbc_atlanta

Executive Producer Peter Lenkov didn’t share as many pictures recently – it seems he was busy editing Episode 2 and cutting the scenes with Amy Acker. On August 30, he posted a picture of “a man and his old school bomb”. On September 6, he shared two other pictures from set; one of them titled “train”.

On the other hand, George Eads finally discovered Instagram. He shared a picture of him between takes and granted us a look at the “War Wagon” (presumably from Episode 2). We also got a picture of him posing in front of the headstone of “Jack S. Dalton Sr.” and one with Extra Sonia Rockwell.

Let the Promo continue: Wall Painting
Mando shared a picture of the finished Wall Painting ad on Hotel Figueroa in LA. The Mural garnered quite some attention on social media; being posted from different angles.

via canyoncitysigns

Let the Promo continue: Preview Trailers
On August 29, Hot Bench released a preview video with new scenes. I have to say that while it looks nice at first, I don’t like it. I have to assume that it was put together by someone at CBS who doesn’t know the original show at all. I don’t know what audience they try to reach with this – I guess a younger one that likes this kind of music, but if the reboot is anything like this preview, it won’t work that way…

TV Promo 360 released another “inofficial” preview that explains the use and meaning of the verb “MacGyver” (=using limited resources to escape an impossible situation). If you want to see the other promo videos (that I posted about in the last update) in a better quality, you can check out SpoilerTV.

On September 1, we got a combo-video-promo for MacGyver and Hawaii Five-0 – MacGyver and McGarrett (or Mac and M(a)c, back to back) on Fridays.

via Mohamad M. Ali

Additionally, we also got a short video interview (probably from the TCAs) with George Eads and Lucas Till. George jokes about how his body is too old for all the action scenes and both say again that they would really like to have Richard Dean Anderson on the show.

Let the Promo continue: MacGyver on “Big Brother”
I didn’t know “Big Brother” is still a thing (since I can’t stand these type of shows and don’t keep up with them). Apparently, they had some MacGyver-themed contest going on and got Pizza afterwards – Pizza in interesting-looking Pizza Boxes. CBS is sure promoting the hell out of this reboot.

There will also be a special premiere screening at the Clay National Guard Center in Marietta, Georgia on September 11. The invitation is made by the Georgia Departement of Defense, and John Till (Lucas Till’s father who’s a lieutenant colonel) will hold a meet and greet along with some of the cast and directors of the show.

via Twitter

Cast and Crew News
Central Casting Georgia has again made several casting calls; e.g. for a new hand double for MacGyver. We all know about Original MacGyver Richard Dean Anderson and his tendency to cut up his hands with the SAK on set. (He recently told the story of how he got the injury on Episode 2×10 (Three for the Road) at Armageddon Expo New Zealand in March – check the video at the 19-Minute-Mark if you want to hear the gory details.) Did New MacGyver’s old hand double already get into trouble? 

I guess it’s more likely that because they’re filming two or more episodes at the same time, they needed more hand doubles for the close-up scenes. Nonetheless, the casting call gave us another close look at the watch that New MacGyver is wearing. Looks good!

Casting Calls also included American Militia Separatists, Moroccan Pedestrians, German Commuters, Japanese Board Members, German Cars, a Caucasian Male in his Late 20’s-40’s with a neatly trimmed beard, German and African looking Men and Women to work in a train depot and a Caucasian Female with a 3 or 4 year old daughter.

via Central Casting Georgia / MacGyver Online

The Press Release for the Pilot Episode revealed that Tracy Spiridakos will play Nikki Carpenter. We already disscussed the possibility of Nikki Carpenter appearing in the Reboot (especially now that we know Penny Parker will also be back); but because I always assumed that Tracy will play the “Big Bad” betraying MacGyver, I never made the connection before. It will be interesting to see how this turns out. Somehow, I can’t imagine Original Nikki Carpenter being a “Big Bad”; at least not on purpose.

Sharing Filming Locations
It was revealed that shooting will continue at Atlanta City Hall on Wednesday, September 7 – it’s the same location where the new Spiderman-Movie was being filmed today. The scenes will involve simulated gunfire. More Action!

MacGyver Reboot Update #7

Disclaimer: My original guest-post was first published on The MacGyver Project on August 14, 2016. I made some minor changes (e.g. grammar or source corrections, link corrections, additional pictures) before re-posting it on my own blog for safe-keeping.

Filming continues while the cast does the interview and photoshoot cycle at the TCA Press Tour in LA. Also, we got a brand new trailer, new stills and huge billboard ads!

via Getty Images

(Spoiler Alert: To avoid spoilers, I won’t post any revealing pictures, but you will get spoilered by reading this post or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

Work, work, work
Cast and Crew were still filming for Episodes 1×02 and 1×03 last week; shooting on the Historic Oakland Cemetery, in Midtown Atlanta and Downtown near Hardy Ivy Park. Several bypassers caught them filming while walking through the park or were able to watch the set from above. The reboot also got some impressive new lighting installations for the interior sets. For the rest of the week, production seemed to move onto higher grounds. A sky scraper setting for New MacGyver’s work place, maybe?

We finally got some more information about the Ninja shooting, gun-wielding bikini babes on the tank. Turns out they’re actually The MacGyverettes! Of course, we still don’t know what this is all about – Opening Gambit? Mac working undercover on a movie set? Who knows. Seems we’re up for a big surprise (hopefully a good one).

While cast and crew are working long days and weekends, they still find the time to pose for fan pictures or joke around a little bit. Two lucky kids even got to meet the cast on set.

Let the Promo begin: Interviews, Stills and Billboard Ads
On August 9, IndieWire posted an interview with Executive Producer Peter Lenkov about rebooting beloved shows. Lenkov revealed his rules of remakes: 1) Honor the original property. 2) Dive even deeper into the characters that fans love. He said: “The secret sauce is what MacGyver does, and I’m hoping that becomes a thing where people the next day are talking about, ‘Can you believe he did that?’ I think the characters are different, and the original show was very plot-driven. Nowadays, we have to really look at why people are tuning in. They’re tuning in for the characters.”

On August 10, SpoilerTV released more promotional pictures for the Pilot Episode and the main cast.

via SpoilerTV

On August 11, someone spotted a new billboard ad from afar – which didn’t look very promising to me. The up-close-version of a new poster provided by Peter Lenkov on the same day revealed the new tag line: “No man has done more with less“. It looks slightly better up close, but this poster wouldn’t spark my curiosity enough to watch the pilot if I didn’t already have a clue what the show was all about. It also reminds me of the first poster for the Unaired Pilot that shall not be named.

via Peter Lenkov

On the other hand, it’s not so different from other posters for movies or TV shows. Some people might think it’s a little cheesy, but that only fit’s into some of the cheesier episodes of the original show. My problem is mainly that it doesn’t seem to bring across what Original MacGyver made him our favorite TV hero in the first place.

It seems they did invest quite some money for the upcoming promo, though. Besides another version of a huge billboard ad, there are Sightseeing Busses driving through Hollywood announcing the “New Fridays” on CBS. I’m already curious what else is coming.

Let the Promo begin: MacGyver at TCA
On August 11, the cast travelled to LA with Peter Lenkov and Pilot Episode Director James Wan to do the promo rounds at the Television Critics Association (TCA). The visit included a short interview panel, photoshoots, live video interviews (streamed on the official MacGyver on CBS Facebook page), press interviews and posing for pictures with the interviewers.

via Twitter

The panel wasn’t aired, but we got almost everything live on Twitter and shortly afterwards via Online Articles. Peter Lenkov started with a MacGyverism consisting of trying to power up his smartphone through a lemon. Apparently, he should have brought more lemons to make it work. (Or maybe a cactus from the Ugly Duckling episode? Maybe I should try this with my old-school cell phone since it’s not smart and only needs to be charged once a week anyway.)

We had already heard a lot of what was said at the San Diego ComicCon panel last month: It’s “Team MacGyver” now; MacGyver get’s a family and a “bromance”. Also, there definitely will be guns (although it won’t be MacGyver using them.) 

Thankfully, they also shared some new information: Since MacGyver’s first name is not a secret anymore, it will be used frequently in the reboot. They will incorporate the original theme, with a new theme in the main title sequence. They already have a role in mind for Richard Dean Anderson and (still) hope he says yes. Lucas Till admitted he cut his hair because of the negative reactions after shooting the Unaired Pilot (we probably won’t ever know if he wanted it cut or if the bosses made him do it). There’s a nod to Hawaii Five-0 in the pilot and Lenkov hopes they get to do a crossover eventually. The cast still does its homework and watches the MacGyver reruns in their trailers between takes.

via Getty Images

After they made everyone sing “Happy Birthday” to Lucas Till, the cast hit the TCA After Party before travelling back to Atlanta to pick up filming.

Let the Promo begin: The Trailer
On August 12, CBS unexpectedly dropped a new trailer. While it’s again restricted on YouTube for an US-only-audience, CBS TV Studios was nice enough to put it up on their Twitter Account and on Facebook so everyone can see it.

I’ve watched it several times now, but I’m still not sure what to think of it. For the reboot itself, I’m still hovering between excitement, annoyance and bracing myself for disappointment. As for the trailer, there’s a lot of action and we get to see every crew member of “Team MacGyver” – The Brains (MacGyver), The Muscle (Jack Dalton), The Boss (Patricia Thornton), The Best Friend (Wilt Bozer) and The Hacker (Riley Davis). Sadly, the introduction of the whole team in such a short time is why we don’t see very much of New MacGyver himself and what makes him tick. The trailer does peak my curiosity, but it doesn’t “feel” like MacGyver yet.

Cast and Crew News
TVLine provided more information about Amy Acker’s role; revealing her character’s name (Sarah Adler). They also confirmed our suspicions that she’s no damsel in distress that needs rescuing. According to Lenkov, she’s a “female version of George Eads’ Jack Dalton, and she’s pretty badass!”. 

via Proper Sightseeing

Sarah Mays shared a picture on Instagram that revealed her being part of the Make-Up-Departement. Several extras shared their excitement online; e.g. Aina Dumlao (as a character named Andie Lee), Steven Stokes (Background Actor) or Tyler Ellstein (StandIn). Also, the IMDb page is slowly filling up with more names for the first three episodes.

Filming, writing, cutting
Still many more episodes to shoot until December, and the premiere is only six weeks away. SpoilerTV has revealed that Episode 1×04 will be called “Wire Cutter”.

While the writers spend the nights on the studio lot working, Peter Lenkov apparently has had a long weekend of cutting to do. It’s good to see that everyone is so dedicated to this project; their energy sure adds to the curiosity and excitement for the fans of the old show.

MacGyver Reboot Update #6

Disclaimer: My original guest-post was first published on The MacGyver Project on August 8, 2016. I made some minor changes (e.g. grammar or source corrections, link corrections, additional pictures) before re-posting it on my own blog for safe-keeping.

Cast and crew are busy working on the second episode – too busy to post on social media?

1×01: The Rising (via SpoilerTV)

(Spoiler Alert: To avoid spoilers, I won’t post pics that are too revealing, but you will get spoilered by reading this post or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

Working on Episode 1×02
Since production started on Episode 2, the posting of set-pictures by cast and crew has significantly lessened; especially by Executive Producer Peter Lenkov. Several people hinted that there are strict rules about posting information. Nonetheless, we still got some interesting pictures.

Tristin Mays shared a picture of Lucas Till hunting Pokémon on his cell phone. He’s lying on a gurney – his surroundings implying a hospital scene. She posted another picture from set together with George Eads and Lucas; probably trying to fix a car.

Peter Lenkov showed us a new possible Easter Egg on August 4 – a pizza box from “Zlotoff’s Pizzeria”. Also, MacGyver and Jack get caught by the bad guys, yet still find a reason to fistbump on this episode’s mission. According to StandIn Mikey Leo, this scene plays on the North/South Korean border and involves gunfire and explosions.

Location Scout Gonzo Rey shared a picture of a nice looking vintage car (Chevrolet Bel Air?) on a set in the woods – we’ll see if MacGyver needs to bulletproof this one, too. Hopefully, it won’t get destroyed – as Brandon Aquino revealed, the car looks also very nice from behind.

On August 5, Peter Lenkov revealed how Jack Dalton always manages to sneak past the bad guys. Is growing a beard what it takes to save a CIA agent? Or will Jack also make use of his gun? Judging by the picture she tweeted a day later, Amy Acker’s character certainly looks pretty capable of saving herself without any outside help.

Impressive Equipment
On the 3rd of August, SkyDroneCinema showed us their “weapon of choice”: an impressive camera that is most likely handled expertly by Camera Operator Tiko Pavoni.

via SkyDroneCinema

The Crew built quite the construction for filming in the Metropolitan Art and Business District on August 4. 

On August 5, FlyWorx shared pictures of a drone on set. I don’t know much about drones, but this one looks pretty… big. And expensive. 

In an Instagram post from July 26 (that was later deleted), Steven showed how he had MacGyvered a steadycam camera stabilizer to wear on his back so he could run in front of Lucas Till while filming an action scene (probably for the pilot episode). MacGyvering equipment together is done all the time on sets, but it’s nice to see that the crew on the reboot is as creative as MacGyver himself. Can Steven also keep up when New MacGyver is driving his motorcycle?

Cast and Crew News
It seems that Writer John Turman (Hulk, Rise of the Silver Surfer) has joined the team; probably the writer’s crew.

Several Extras shared their involvement in the second episode; e.g. Joslyn Sky (Venezuelan Super Market Scene), Carlos Guerrero (as a character named Alfredo Barrios), John J Shim or G-Rod, who showed a short sequence of his stunt prep work on Instagram. Jonathan Fritschi revealed he had a great time on set while working with Tristin Mays.

Central Casting Georgia has again made several casting calls; e.g. for Extras portraying villagers in a Malaysian town, for young professionals and for golfers. It’s safe to say that New MacGyver covers a lot of Asian ground in the first few episodes.

While Original MacGyver Richard Dean Anderson has no interest in taking part in the reboot, other actors that participated in the original show certainly wouldn’t mind; e.g. Jason Priestley (from the episode “Blood Brothers“).

via FlyWorx

Fall TV Previews
If you’re living near New York or LA and don’t want to wait until the TV premiere, you might get to see MacGyver two weeks early: There’s a Fall TV Preview Screening at PaleyFest.

Working on a Sunday
As there are still at least 11 episodes to shoot, the crew also works on the weekends – as shown by StandIn Mikey Leo or by Location Scout Gonzo Rey. Set Days still start early. At least they get some help by decorative butterflies, by eating vitamins of fruity beasts from the catering crew and by drinking some MacGyver-themed red wine after wrapping.

MacGyver Reboot Update #5

Disclaimer: My original guest-post was first published on The MacGyver Project on August 1st, 2016. I made some minor changes (e.g. grammar or source corrections, link corrections, additional pictures) before re-posting it on my own blog for safe-keeping.

Last week, they finished filming the pilot episode and started production on the next one. Also, we got some more promo and lots and lots of set pictures!

via CBS

(Spoiler Alert: To avoid spoilers, I won’t post pics that are too revealing, but you probably will get spoilered by reading this post or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

Another Shooting Day in “Hotlanta”
Executive Producer Peter Lenkov announced on Instagram on July 25 that he was back in Atlanta to resume filming of the pilot episode. He was greeted with “Welcome back to Hotlanta!”. 

We had already heard at ComicCon that Lucas Till had been a real trooper while shooting for the pilot episode on a hot tarmac in his leather jacket without complaining. It seemed the weather conditions were still quite challenging while the crew was filming downtown. Lenkov posted a picture of his “sweating jeans” while Lucas shared a picture of George Eads wearing a so-called “cold scarf”. It’s unclear if Vinnie Jones – who had tweeted being back on set earlier – had also gotten one of those. On the same day, stuntman Aden Stay shared a picture from the set right before getting ready for action.

Bypassers were excited to see the production going on; e.g. while filming near Cafe Lucia or at the Georgian Terrace Hotel. 

Get a Taste of the Action
On July 26, CBS released a “Sneak Peak” (sic!) of the pilot episode with comments by Peter Lenkov, Lucas Till, George Eads and Stunt Coordinator Jeff Wolfe. We can taste the action alright; e.g. MacGyver chasing after an airplane, fighting bad guys and getting ready to do some MacGyverisms. Shortly after, they added a 10-second-TV-ad for the premiere. They made a modern version of the title in front of an explosion, and it looks surprisingly good (although us “old” fans still wonder about getting the old theme along the new opening credits).

On the same day, we got several promo stills for the Pilot Episode by SpoilerTV.

The Iconic Shot
Every MacGyver Fan knows the iconic picture of MacGyver shouldering a missile – and maybe even non-fans do (this is probably one of the most often used stills of the original show). Peter Lenkov shared a very interesting picture on July 26 of himself on the interior set, shouldering a white missile with a red nose while wearing sunglasses. Even more interestingly, he later deleted the picture. Did Lenkov give too much away about what the team had in mind for the next promo shot? 

It’s no secret: What you post on social media will make the rounds, even if you try to make it disappear. The cat was already out of the bag, so maybe that’s the reason that only two days later, several other crew and cast members posted pictures of themselves or of Lucas with the prop; e.g. Producer Michael Clear, Justin Hires or Camera Operator Tiko Pavoni. Peter Lenkov posted a short video where we get to see Lucas on the monitor, carrying the missile trough the forest (jungle?). His t-shirt indicates that MacGyver went to MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

Interior Sets
We got lots of new pictures of the interior sets for the rest of the week. Justin Hires announced his first day working on set on July 26. Lucas Till posted a picture of Justin and one of George Eads plucking at a guitar. Justin in turn had posted several videos on his Facebook Account. Lenkov showed us Lucas getting touched up by the MakeUp Departement before sharing several pictures of (presumably) MacGyver’s home; e.g. the living room, the fridge and the work area.

It’s fun to see pictures even though you’re not really sure what to make of it; e.g. of MacGyver with a Robot Hand or of Wilt Bozer making waffles. Also, the crew shot some scenes in “Siberia“. Must be pretty funny; filming in full winter gear inside a studio in Hotlanta under bright lights (ahem). 

Cast and Crew News
Several Extras shared their involvement in the reboot; Katy Harrington (hotel guest), Jonathan Fritschi, Kevin Pinkney or Gary Sonny Alfano (drug dealer). StandIn James Grabowski revealed with his call sheet of the pilot episode that this was going to be an “open-flame-kind-of-hot-day” on set.

On the same day the crew was filming in “Siberia”, a husky was at the studio. It’s unclear for now if the dog will be part of this scene or not.

On July 27, MacGyver CBS officially introduced Tristin Mays as the character of computer hacker Riley Davis. On the same day, Lucas Till shared a picture of him with his Stunt Double Chris Brewster.

Team MacGyver (via SpoilerTV)

Fans had already recognized her on a picture provided by Peter Lenkov. On July 28, TVLine confirmed that Amy Acker is guest-starring on the second episode. She will play a CIA operative working undercover in Caracas who got kidnapped. Of course, we can expect Mac and Jack to get her out; maybe even get the girl AND the missile.

To the disappointment of many fans (myself included), it doesn’t look like Richard Dean Anderson will be part of the reboot. In a statement through his website on July 25, RDA said that he’s “(…) not considering being a part of a project that has overlooked the insanely LOYAL FANS of the original character and has proceeded without considering how and why they all became and STAYED loyal fans…(…)“. We will see if he still feels that way after the first few episodes have aired. From what I’ve seen of the production and heard and read of the panel and interview roundtables at ComicCon, it seems like this time around the crew actually tries to honor the original show.

Working on Episode 1×02
On July 27, Peter Lenkov informed via Instagram that they have started production on Episode 1×02 before wrapping the pilot episode on July 28. According to SpoilerTV, the second episode is called “Metal Saw”. An important tool on MacGyver’s SAK, maybe? 

The locations look pretty interesting. Also, Lenkov showed us how MacGyver would bulletproof a car. If I was sitting in this car, I would feel safer already. Maybe.

There are quite some more episodes to film until December and the crew was in for another night shoot on July 29. But they still have fun on set between takes. Tracy Spiridakos showed us what happens when you forget your phone at a table full of stunt men.