Jamie Bell, Julian Simpson Developing TV Version Of ‘Jumper’

EXCLUSIVE: Jamie Bell and Julian Simpson (Doctor Who) are helping to develop a TV reboot of the successful 2008 feature film Jumper for Studio Canal, New Regency and Lionsgate. Bell may be reprising his role from the film for the series which is in development through the multi-faceted TV production and distribution deal between Lionsgate and New Regency.

Jumper tells the story of a teenager with teleportation abilities who suddenly finds himself in the middle of an ancient war between those like him and their sworn annihilators. The movie version was released by Fox and grossed a whopping $222.2M worldwide.

Bell burst on the scene as a kid with his first film Billy Elliott in 2000 and has since done both TV (TURN: Washington Spies) and film (Snowpiercer, Fantastic Four).

For writer/director Simpson, this is the second significant deal this week as he also was hired to pen the feature cyber-thriller The Hacker is Watching at 20th Century Fox for Color Force. The project is based on a 2012 GQ investigative article written by David Kushner. Simpson credits include Dr. Who, MI-5 (the television series), Superstorm, and New Tricks.

Bell is repped by UTA and Artists Independent Management; Simpson by ICM Partners in the U.S. and Sean Gascoine at United Agents in the U.K.

Last fall, YouTube Red ordered a pilot for a Jumper sequel Impulse based on the third novel in the Jumper series by Steven Gould, with the Jumper movie helmer Doug Liman set to direct and executive produce via Universal Cable Prods.