The future is female, and so is ABC's new Greatest American Hero.
The US channel is working on a reboot of the barmy '70s superhero comedy The Greatest American Hero, which centred around an ordinary citizen being granted super powers by an advanced alien race.
In the original version, that hapless hero was Ralph Hinkley, played by William Katt. But the reboot will reimagine the Greatest American Hero with a gender-swapped twist (via Deadline).
British actress Hannah Simone will be playing Meera, a 30-year-old hard-drinking Clevelander who is entrusted by otherworldly beings with saving humanity from all manner of threats.
Simone is probably best known for her supporting role as Zooey Deschanel's on-screen best mate Cece in Fox's New Girl, which will be wrapping up its seventh and final season later this year.
Prior to joining New Girl, the 37-year-old actress was a VJ for MuchMusic in Canada and briefly hosted the reality gaming competition WCG Ultimate Gamer on Syfy.
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Simone's reinvention of The Greatest American Hero is being penned by Fresh Off the Boat veterans Rachna Fruchbom and Nahnatchka Khan, with the original series' creator Stephen J. Cannell's daughter, Tawnia McKiernan, on board to produce.
McKiernan has previously directed episodes of Supergirl, the MacGyver reboot, Criminal Minds and Pretty Little Liars. Her father, mega-producer Stephen, passed away in 2010 following a battle with cancer.
The Greatest American Hero aired on ABC only briefly, from 1981 to 1983, but later developed a cult following. A previous reboot from The Lego Movie's Phil Lord and Christopher Miller was shelved in 2014.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
