Battle of the Network Stars coming to the big screen

The seemingly never-ending stream of television content splurting onto the big screen continues with a film adaptation of Battle of the Network Stars. The camp late-1970s show featured celebrities from shows of the era, including Melissa Gilbert from Little House on the Prairie, Robert Conrad from Black Sheep Squadron, and Gabe Kaplan from Welcome Back, Kotter, competing in physical challenges such as tug-of-war, sack races, and plate-twirling. The show was hosted by a deadpan Howard Cosell.

The current movie adaptation is being written by former King of the Hill scribe Etan Cohen and will be executive produced by Barry Frank, one of the producers of the original Battle. As of yet, no network stars have been mentioned for the roles of the Network Stars.

Currently, Bravo is airing a reimagining of the show, titled Battle of the Network Reality Stars. The new show features former contestants of shows such as The Apprentice, Survivor, and The Swan attempting to protract their time in the media spotlight.

It is interesting to note that at the same time Hollywood is increasingly turning television shows into movies, the theatrical box office is mired in a slump. One cause of the slump could be that audiences don't want to pay $10 a ticket to see something they used to watch for free on TV.