Taylor Russell gets Lost in Space for Netflix

September 19th 2016, 4:30pm

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

How many times are they gonna try this? First there was the 1998 remake (which I remember loving, but then again I was 10 at the time) starring Matt LeBlanc (remember his movie career?), William Hurt, Heather Graham, and Gary Oldman as Dr. Smith. Then there was an unaired pilot in 2004 directed by John Woo called THE ROBINSONS: LOST IN SPACE, which didn't go anywhere. Now Netflix, in all its wisdom, has decided to make a 10-episode series from the guys who wrote DRACULA: UNTOLD.

LOST IN SPACE was originally a campy TV show that ran from 1965-68 and was about a family (The Robinsons, a play on SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON) that go on a space voyage that's sabotaged by Dr. Smith (Jonathan Harris, of "Oh, the pain, the pain!" fame) and get…well, lost in space. And The Robinsons somehow never get the good sense to send Dr. Smith through an airlock, as he continues to f*ck up their lives for three seasons.

Now the first cast member to be launched into space has been announced, and it's Taylor Russell. She''ll be playing Judy Robinson, the eldest daughter of the family. In the '98 film Judy was a young woman and scientist in her own right, while in the original '60s version she was just a ditzy blonde teenager. There's no way to no at this point to determine which route they'll take the new Judy Robinson, suffice to say judging by Russell's age it's doubtful she's going to be a seasoned scientist (which was barely believable in the '90s film), and probably won't be blonde.

I'm not sure how I feel about the new reboot itself, but I like the casting. While I never saw Lifetime’s UNAUTHORIZED SAVED BY THE BELL STORY (where Russell played Lark Voorhies) or her role as Evelyn on FALLING SKIES, I appreciate that her casting reveals a more diverse cast, which is always a good thing. Let's hope the rest of the project looks as promising.

The newest LOST IN SPACE remake was announced officially by Netflix in June, and is scheduled to be streaming sometime in 2018.

Any fans of LOST IN SPACE? And do you guys prefer the show or the movie?