ABC orders female-led Greatest American Hero reboot

ABC has given a pilot order to a female-led reboot of The Greatest American Hero from Fresh Off the Boat EP Nahnatchka Khan.

Inspired by the 1980s TV show of the same name, The Greatest American Hero centers around Meera, a 30-year-old woman who loves tequila and karaoke and has spent her life searching and failing to find meaning, much to the chagrin of her traditional Indian-American family. An inexplicable event occurs that will change the course of Meera’s life forever: She is entrusted with a super suit to protect the planet. Meera may have finally found purpose, but the world has never been in more unreliable hands.

The original series, which starred William Katt as a school teacher imbued with superhuman abilities after a group of aliens bestowed him with a red and black super suit, ran from 1981-1983 on ABC.

Rachna Fruchbom (Fresh Off the Boat, Parks and Recreation) will write and executive produce with Khan, Fierce Baby, Mandy Summers, and Tawnia McKiernan.

ABC boss Channing Dungey recently cited the development of The Greatest American Hero reboot as a sign the network has not slowed down on superhero projects, despite the recent soft performance of Marvel’s Inhumans.

Back in 2014, Fox was in development on a reboot of Greatest American Hero with Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord, and Chris Miller.