The Avengers TV series reboot: 1960s spy comedy to return with Sex Education and Industry talent attached

More than 50 years after The Avengers ended, the British spy comedy is getting a reboot. The 1960s spoof series followed the exploits of British Agent John Steed and his young female colleagues. The late Patrick Macnee starred as John Steed, and the series also featured Diana Rigg, Honor Blackman, and Linda Thorson.

The title of the show may undergo changes given the success of Marvel’s Avengers films - Avengers: Endgame is the highest grossing film of all time, and the first of the films was renamed to Avengers Assemble in the UK to avoid confusion with the ‘60s spy series.

Top talent will be involved in the new series with Sex Education director Ben Taylor attached to the show, and Industry creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay set to write the scripts.

What is The Avengers about?

The original series follows Steed and other spies working for an organisation known as The Ministry. Their job was to investigate and stop criminals operating in the UK. It is expected that the reboot will follow a similar storyline, resurrecting the show’s main characters and reimagining the series for a new audience.

StudioCanal and Warner Bros Discovery's Wall-to-Wall are producing the series, but specific plot details have not yet been revealed.

Has The Avengers been rebooted before?

The Avengers returned in 1976 for a two-season sequel The New Avengers, once more starring Patrick Macnee but with a new supporting cast which included Joanna Lumley and Joanna Lumley. 

The sequel followed Steed as he teamed up with two new agents to prevent world domination by evil forces. Whilst not quite as well received as the original show, it was universally more popular than the later film reboot. 

The disastrous 1998 film starring Ralph Fiennes as John Steed, Uma Thurman as Dr Emma Peel, and Sean Connery as mad scientist Sir August De Wynter, killed any hopes of a show revival for decades.

Despite the stellar cast, which also included Macnee in a cameo voice role as Invisible Jones, the film was a total bomb, losing millions at the box office, and being panned by critics and fans of the ‘60s show alike. 

The film was nominated for eight Razzies, winning the award for Worst Remake or Sequel (it was nominated alongside Vince Vaughn’s Psycho and the New York set Godzilla). The film was not nominated by any serious awards bodies. Speaking of the film, Fiennes said: “I think it's a badge of honour to have a real flop on your resumé.”

Who is in the cast of The Avengers reboot?

The cast of the new series has not yet been confirmed, but sadly the three biggest stars of the original show, Macnee, Rigg, and Blackman will not appear as they have all since passed away.

However, their characters are expected to return. Who will play John Steed, Dr Emma Peel, and Dr Cathy Gale remains unknown for the time being.