With the news that Justin Hires has been cast as a rebooted Wilt Bozer, a character from the original show, which of the other original characters from the show would you like to see rebooted versions of for the MacGyver reboot? Here are some of the characters I'd like to see

1.) Pete Thornton - I would like if if George Eads' character changed from Lincoln to Pete Thornton. It would be the most logical choice, as he was a really important character in MacGyver's life and it would be a nod to the past show. I don't really care for the fact that he doesn't look like the original Pete as long as he provides the same, modernized take on the dynamic that Pete and MacGyver had.

2.) Nikki Carpenter as a series regular - I hope they get a rebooted Nikki for the show, because I feel like she was one of the female characters in MacGyver that could really keep up with him and not just be the typical and cliched 'damsel in distress'-type of character. I also feel like a lot of us loved the character but her time was cut off short during the entire run of the series because she never returned after season 3, and I would have liked to see the Nikki-MacGyver relationship explored, be it platonic or on a romantic level. Maybe they can make her a Mickey-type of character...yknow, the Mickey from the first version of the reboot pilot played by Addison Timlin? The one with the computer, described as an app developer who helps MacGyver? Just don't get her holed up in a computer that often, get her into action.

3.) Jack Dalton as a recurring guest star - I'd like to see a new version of him, too. But I'd have him as a recurring guest star rather than a series regular? I feel like a lot of fans will be annoyed if every single episode would be about Jack Dalton scheming MacGyver in another of his ploys.

4.) Dr. Zito - A rebooted, more sinister version of him would be great. It's not that he was not sinister before, but I feel like they could make him more sinister now with the complex storytelling we see on TV. A villain for a whole season's story arc, probably?

5.) Murdoc - I'd like to see a more realistic version of Murdoc. Maybe make him a terrorist of some sort? There are a lot of things that can be done to reboot a character without taking away the things that made him memorable. A nice villain for a whole season's story arc, too. Or maybe he and Dr. Zito could share a season together and then team up for a spectacular season finale for a season of MacGyver.

Well, those are my thoughts. How about you guys? Go on and leave your replies below

Interesting take on Ead's character being Pete Thornton. In some crazy way, it would actually work in my opinion.

Main members are no-brainers for me. Pete, Jack, Murdoc. Even Penny. However Nikki was only brought in as a potential love interest for MacGyver which never worked out due to public intervention. From there, it felt as if her character was a wasted opportunity and she just "Hung" around.

Although i love her character, if there is no reason to be had with her, she could be replaceable.

I've always though that Ead's character would be the reboot's Pete Thornton anyway. But it would be cool if they named him thus as well and went all in with it.

I'd also like to see Ellen Jerico and Mike Forrester characters explored more as they were both people from MacGyver's collage and/or high school days.

I think Ellen Jerico would be great for the role Peter Lenkov talked about with the female adversary for season 1. We know she was a bit of a nut job after MacGyver dumped her and that sounds a bit like what Peter was talking about. for the storyline

Eads character is meant to be the side kick role to MacGyver, just as Pete Thornton was in the original.

My guess is that we'll soon hear that Eads' character has been re-named, but instead of going with Pete, we may find that they've decided to name his character Jack Dalton. I think, he'll be more believable as a Jack. Plus one of the writers twitted #macandjackareback, so that is why I'm thinking this is a strong possibility.

I'd rather have Deborah instead. She was a much a better villain. Sort of flying into his life, get into his personal stuff, fooling him, Pete and Nikki, sleeping with him, terrorizing everyone around him.

Can't believe Harry hasn't been mentioned yet.

We were waiting for you to mention him, MacGyverGod.

Yeah I would love to see all the regulars back they could transition Lincoln to Peter by saying Lincoln is his middle name or something like that...

For me I would love the German archeologist to come back... Completely forgot his name but he was in season 5 in the Alexander the Great episode with The best line of almost the whole series "it's a universal law the man with the gun gets to ask the questions"

Ladies and Gentleman... you might get a wish come true. Look at the official CBS MacGyver site:

A reimagining of the classic series, is an action-adventure drama about 20-something Angus “Mac” MacGyver (Lucas Till) who creates a clandestine organization within the U.S. government where he uses his extraordinary talent for unconventional problem solving and vast scientific knowledge to save lives. Joining his team on high-risk missions around the globe is maverick former CIA agent Jack Dalton (George Eads). Under the aegis of the Department of External Services, MacGyver takes on the responsibility of saving the world, armed to the teeth with resourcefulness and little more than bubble gum and a paper clip.

That's crazy!

via http://www.cbs.com/shows/macgyver/

I love this idea and I know everyone else will hate it but in the original trailer Lincoln felt more like dalton anyways so yeah I love this idea..

I guess that means we'll get to see a different actor to play Pete Thornton, then?

The Deadline article says they have 4 new cast members, one of which is Justin Hires. When they say 4, do they mean Till, Eads, Hires, and another cast member (presumably the one Peter Lenkov refers to as the girl who broke MacGyver's heart and the main villain of the season) or does it mean that there will be 4 new cast members alongside Lucas Till and George Eads, with a total of 6 cast members? If so, one of the 4 new cast members must be Pete.

They can't do MacGyver without Pete It wouldn't be the same. They have to introduce him in some way. I mean, if Jack and that Wilt Bozer character came back, surely Peter Lenkov should have already thought of bringing a new version of Pete back.

But regarding George Eads as Jack, shouldn't Jack Dalton be of the same age as MacGyver? In the original, if I remember clearly, it was implied like that and Jack didn't really look older than MacGyver. This is a reboot, so I can forgive them for that but I was just really hoping for George Eads to just be Pete, so it kinda disappoints me. But I'm sure once it comes out, I'll get used to it.

Well, they're clearly not treating this as a straight-up prequel, so the age doesn't really matter. I do wonder, though, if George Eads' version of Jack will have ANY of the characteristics of Bruce McGill's Jack, or are they simply borrowing the name. For example, will this new Jack have his own plane? Will he constantly be roping Mac into crazy schemes? Will he say "EgZACtly!!"? Will his eye twitch when he lies? Will he constantly get on Mac's nerves? etc, etc, etc. Obviously they don't need to bring in ALL of these characteristics, but I do think this new Jack should have SOME relation to the old one, otherwise why bother naming him Jack Dalton? Why not just make him a new character?

As for Pete... I could see them saving him for later. A while ago, I didn't think Pete would even necessarily be in this show, but now that we have Jack Dalton and Wilt Bozer, yeah, we'll get Pete at some point.

I feel like George Eads' Jack Dalton may share a little bit of the original one's characteristics, like him maybe twitching an eye whenever he lies or the fact that Jack is a pilot. Would make sense, coz for sure there are CIA pilots, I guess? I wouldn't imagine him with the bushy moustache, tho. But I kinda see why they made him into a Jack Dalton. I guess they wanted a bromance factor for the reboot, and Jack kinda provided that in the original one, at a time where bromance wasn't even a term yet (or was it? I was born in 1999 so I wouldn't know ) I feel that it's gonna be like McDanno, the bromance from the Hawaii Five-0 reboot? That's the term they call it, a 'shipname', to put it correctly, from the names of Steve McGarrett and Danny 'Danno' Williams

It would be a bit corny if this Jack would still rope MacGyver into his ploys that often. I wouldn't want every episode to be him roping MacGyver into a foolish scheme. If this were to be done correctly, maybe they would make MacGyver reluctant at first to join Jack, but then Jack finally convinces MacGyver to create the clandestine organization with his expertise from being an ex-CIA agent, just like how the original Jack usually convinces MacGyver to do things. And this Jack should also oftentimes get him and MacGyver into trouble, but not necessarily because of a scheme he's put MacGyver into. Maybe he would occasionally make bad decisions whenever out in action with MacGyver and this would usually get them in trouble, like being locked up in a room or so.

Honestly I still have no idea how they would make this work but if done properly through proper writing and characterizations, they can make me and some viewers who might share my own opinions like it in the long run

CIA?

They obviously never intended on having Eads play Dalton originally. So its kinda weird that he is cast as the character. Especially the age difference.

Not to say he cannot pull it off but its just a little strange.

My, the desperation's of last minute changes when it comes to re-shoots can be a little scary.

Yes, Lincoln reminded me of Jack, too.

Also, it's a reimagination, but when I read that line yesterday I thought at first: How can you reimagine Jack Dalton from the Original as a 45-year-old CIA Agent???

But they seem to have a plan, so I'm hoping for the best. The more I think about it, the more I hate that unaired pilot-themed trailer, so in my eyes, it can only get better whatever they do

I think we can safely say - that pilot, is in the same category as Young MacGyver. It's in a box never to be opened again. BYE BYE !

Remember, Peter Lenkov was brought on board after they shot the pilot. I reckon as a fan of the show himself, Peter took one look at that pilot and saw all the major flaws with it. He also has listened and reacted to fans advice and criticisms.

So happy that he has gone back to the original source material... Renaming Eads character is just the best news ever, he even looks like a "jack". Remember this character is supposed to be the best friend of the original Mac, the age difference would work (not accurate, but plausible).

Very pleased that Wilt Bozer finally gets a more prominent role in this reboot, he was a character that was highly underrated and undervalued in the original. I expect the other cast signings to follow a similar path.

So let's hope Peter Lenkov is steering this project finally in the right direction and is on coarse for another major smash hit series. I don't know about you, but I'm really looking forward to this, it's seems more promising with all these...(major) changes.

Speaking of Young MacGyver, how different would things have been if that had gone into series?

The title of the show never appealed to me. It sounded crappy, uncool and really weird. For me, at least. But now I think I've gotten used to it so if it had gone to series I would have gotten used to it too.

And then watching it on a very low quality online adds to the crappiness I felt watching it. I feel like it had it's moments but the story and dialogue seemed uninspired and bland. I feel like there could have been something done but the WB Network didn't even bother to do so. However, what if they did? Would it turn out to be great?

Someone should make a documentary feature about that, maybe for the DVD/Blu Ray release of the MacGyver reboot's Season 1 or a repackage of the original MacGyver box set with a disc purely for special features. I'd be interested to watch that. I'd like to see how they did 'Young MacGyver' and what went wrong in the process

Does anyone know more about it, tho? I've read somewhere that they abandoned it favor of a Tarzan series which didn't last. But, there must be a lot of certain aspects that led to the abandonment of the project, too.

And also, LDZ planned a MacGyver movie years before the TV reboot was announced, right? Well what happened to that,too? Are there existing drafts of some sort?

It would be interesting to see the things we would have almost gotten before this reboot with Lucas Till. It has such a rich history, and it's amazing that we got this far. Before, projects were planned and I'd get excited but nothing would ever come out of it, but now here we all are, talking about a MacGyver reboot sure to be aired on TV, with a trailer (though it won't really be the one they'll air, still something to get us excited about the show), a cast, etc. It's interesting to see the road we all had to take, the various projects, and everything that has happened in MacGyver history before MacGyver 2016

Sorry Manuelooord,

For me, just thinking about that gives me nightmares.

I'm sitting on that box, no one is opening that box again lol

It should remain as such, a bad dream.

LDZ pulled the plug on it when the production company couldn't deliver a script he liked.

That's been the problem with every attempt so far. It seems companies are very quick to recognize the potential of the MacGyver franchise and jump on board, but very slow to understand what it's actually about and thankfully LDZ has a very precise idea of what he wants from the projects he has control over and a strong will not to compromise - with the exception of the comic book, no-one has been able to deliver on his expectations yet.

Take a look through our News Forum and you'll find some old news articles there about the movie announcements (possibly the 2nd or 3rd page back).

Axminster.

I'd like to see one of the remaining 3 regular characters go to Mayim Bialik, in the role of a now grown up Lisa Woodman - in charge of this new unit. The show MacGyver helped launch her career, she loved working on the original, and she is now a major staple at CBS.

Other roles I'd like to see return / or expanded on would be Dr.Zito, Mama Lorraine, Nikki Carpenter, and Lt. Kim Murphy.

I would love to see Summer Glau as Debra and as the main villain of season 1

How about Robert Carlyle as Murdoc? I think he has the right look:

While I agree with you,

Robert is working on Train-spotting 2 at the moment.

So doubt he has the time?

Too bad. Maybe for Season 2?

He sure does have the right look, but he's too old.

Remember this is a 20-something MacGyver and the original was around the same age as MacGyver, so we'd need a twentysomething Murdoc for this series.......

unless......

It is in fact a continuation and this new MacGyver is the-son-of-MacGyver... in which case bring back Michael Des Barris... he's said he'd do it if asked.


A creation story of Murdoc might not be a bad idea too.

It could be dark and gritty and follow him from teenage years or early adult to explore what drove him to become a world class hitman.

I agree with you. It would great to see a character from the original series return to the new reboot! Since none of the original cast has been said to feature in the upcoming reboot.

I don't think that's necessarily true, though. Look at the age difference with the new Jack Dalton. And what about Wilt Bozer? (originally a white guy, now a black guy.) With this being a "re-imagining," they can take liberties, especially since Murdoc's age was never an important factor in his character.

George Eads as Pete Thornton (Or they could come up with a new name and not use Pete Thornton) would work for me. I heard he has been cast as Jack Dalton. I can't see that. That would be as bad as casting Miley Cyrus as Mike Forester......

Miley Cyrus! Hmmm... What's the casting department's number again?

No, i just think they were in a bit of a fix having already gone into the project with 2 signed on stars. Lincoln was never going to work as a character so they changed him to Jack Dalton instead, no doubt because of his wise cracking attitude. Had he been more serious, they might have ended up changing him to Thornton.

I agree with the OP that George Eads should be Pete. I don't see the logic in making him Jack Dalton(supposedly), especially if he is playing the same type of character as in the first pilot(a government agent who goes on missions with MacGyver).

Michael Des Barres could reprise Murdoc, since bringing Mark Hamill back as the Trickster on the Flash worked out pretty well. Thinking in that vein, maybe Richard Dean Anderson could play MacGyver's father, and there could be hints that RDA is the MacGyver of the 80s series but keep it a little vague so you could still suspend disbelief that Lucas Till as THE MacGyver.

Nikki Carpenter could be a regular character on the show as a fellow DXS/Phoenix Foundation/whatever the organization ends up being employee. The new series could use a few more regulars than the original had.