Hit the theme song. The classic athletic challenge show American Gladiators will be gearing up for some new games as Amazon will now be rebooting the series. American Gladiators initially ran between 1989 and 1996 in syndication and is widely considered one of the first reality competition series. The show had amateur athletes that competed against each other as well as the shows’ own gladiators across a range of challenges and obstacle courses. The show was previously rebooted on NBC in 2008 with WWE wrestling star Hulk Hogan and Muhammad Ali’s daughter Laila Ali hosting.
Now, Deadline is reporting that Amazon has ordered a newer incarnation of American Gladiators for Prime Video. The rebooted series will be produced by MGM Alternative and Amazon MGM Studios for the streaming giant in association with Flor-Jon Films, the production company from American Gladiators co-creator Johnny C. Ferraro, who exec produces. All the fan-favorite games will be making a glorious return. They will include classic competitions such as Gauntlet, Hang Tough, and, of course, the ultimate obstacle course, The Eliminator.
This news comes about after a similar physical competition show was revamped for UK audiences. The British channel, BBC, would strike much success with a reboot of their show Gladiators. That version would go on to become its biggest entertainment series launch in almost a decade and was quickly renewed for a second season. Since the original, shows like American Ninja Warrior had taken the concept in different directions, but it showed that there was still an interest in these kinds of programs. The producers of American Ninja Warrior would even try to reboot American Gladiators themselves in 2014, but the show would never make it to air.
Another attempt was made in 2018 by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen for its 30th anniversary when they attempted to team up with MGM, but that also faltered. Then, in 2021, it was reported that MGM would team up with the WWE for a new version that same year. Lauren Anderson, head of Brand and Content Innovation at Amazon MGM Studios, would share her excitement for this new reboot, “Gladiators is an enduring, physical challenge format that continues to engage families around the world. We look forward to delighting our global Prime Video customers with both reimagined and nostalgic elements that celebrate the best of the original series.”