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The Saint's Blog devoted to news and rumors about The Saint and Leslie Charteris. Simon Templar, alias The Saint, was played by Roger Moore in the 1960's TV show featuring the Volvo 1800.
Please e-mail any current news and rumors about The Saint to: 
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Adam Rayner is The Saint on TV in 2013
Last Friday, the news broke on the latest television incarnation of Leslie Charteris' famous sleuth, Simon Templar, alias The Saint. There have been many rumors about a new show since the 1997 Val Kilmer movie, with such stars as James Purefoy and Dougray Scott attached to them. After years of perseverance, it appears that the efforts have finally paid off and a new TV show of The Saint will start filming in January 2013.
Therefore with much fanfare and trumpeting, it's time to meet the new Saint!
Adam Rayner as Simon Templar, alias The Saint
 Adam is English, just as most people expect Simon Templar to be. The Saint has always been English at the heart, with a well-travelled cosmopolitan history that blends him into a true man of the world.
Adam Rayner most recently starred as the lead role in the TV series, Hunted, and is also known for his work on Doctor Who, Making Waves, and Hawthorne.
He has a wealth of TV shows and movies to watch, as Leslie Charteris first authored the Saint in 1928, and it has been in constant rotation ever since.
Eliza Dushku as Patricia Holm
 Playing Simon Templar's on-again-off-again love interest and partner in crime, Dushku's role of Patricia Holm will hopefully recapture some of the years of history between the two.
The show Burn Notice seems to have borrowed heavily from this classic interaction, and it works!
Eliza Patricia Dushku is probably most famous for her appearances on the TV show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and she did play the role of the teenage daughter in the classic spy thriller, True Lies.
Production Team:
- Roger Moore, co-Producer, the original Simon Templar of the 1960s
- Geoffrey Moore, co-Producer
- Lulu Moore, co-Producer
- Louisa Macdonald, co-Producer
- Simon West, Director
- Jesse Alexander, Screenwriter & Executive Producer, best known for his work on Lost
- Brad Krevoy, Executive Producer, MPCA Production Company
- Roman Viaris, Executive Producer
- Fred Fuchs, Production
- Silverscreen Pictures
- Mandy Sherman, Casting, Sherman/Knight
- Sari Knight, Casting, Sherman/Knight
- Michael MacDermott, Product Placement
- Francisco J. González, International Sales
- Ian Dickerson, Creative Consultant
No network are attached to this project as of yet. The plan is to shoot the pilot and shop it around.
Production is slated to kick-off this Friday, December 14 in Los Angeles, London and Toronto. Filming to be scheduled in 2013 in Los Angeles and San Diego, with other locations to follow as the series progresses.
Labels: #TheSaint, 2012, Adam Rayner, Dougray Scott, Eliza Dushku, Geoffrey Moore, Ian Dickerson, James Purefoy, Leslie Charteris, Roger Moore, TV
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for Adam Rayner is The Saint on TV in 2013  
Monday, March 10, 2008
"The Saint" is marching back to television via a contemporary take on the Leslie Charteris' books, with James Purefoy in talks to topline as the debonair international thief Simon Templar.
Producers Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana, writer Jorge Zamacona, feature producer Bill Macdonald, Roger Moore -- who played Templar in the 1960s British series -- and his son Geoffrey Moore are all involved in the project.
Levinson is set to direct the two-hour TV movie/backdoor pilot, which will be produced independently and then shopped to the networks.The project is backed by Nehst Studios, a financing, production and distribution company that recently partnered with Lexicon Filmed Entertainment to share $250 million from private-equity sources to finance features, TV series and Web series.
Macdonald has been associated with "Saint" on and off for 17 years. In 1991, he acquired the rights to the books for producer Robert Evans. The two went on to produce the 1997 feature starring Val Kilmer as the dapper adventurer.
In 2004, Macdonald teamed with Zamacona and Roger and Geoffrey Moore to bring the "Saint" franchise to television. The four formed Templar Entertainment Group, through which they acquired the TV rights to Charteris' novels.The new "Saint" series was created by Zamacona, who penned the pilot script, and Macdonald.
The project was originally set up at TNT, which announced it as part of its 2007 development slate last March.TNT later passed on it, and the rights reverted to the producers. Macdonald and Zamacona might have gone the traditional route -- trying to find a new network home for the show -- if it hadn't been for the writers strike.With development activity in Hollywood screeching to a halt and Macdonald and Zamacona joining the picket lines, the producers began to mull producing the pilot and the potential series independently and seeking a network partner later.
They were well into raising financing for the project when the strike ended. "The strike changed our strategy because no one knew how long it was going to be, but producing the project independently gives us a lot more creative freedom," Macdonald said.During the strike, Zamacona approached Levinson and Fontana, who had given him his first writing job on "Homicide: Life on the Street." The two came on board to executive produce "Saint" with Macdonald, Zamacona and Geoffrey Moore, and Levinson agreed to direct.
"One of the things we lost a little bit of in the movie but want to bring to the TV series is that Simon Templar is very funny character with great lines and situation humor, and I don't think there is anybody better than Levinson to tackle that," Macdonald said.
The producers then went after Purefoy, who recently starred on the HBO/BBC series "Rome," which was co-created and executive produced by Macdonald.Casting is under way for the other key parts in the pilot: Inspector Claud Eustace Teal, the Interpol agent in charge of tracking Templar; Templar's romantic interest/assistant, Patricia Holm; and his enemy-turned-partner in crime, Baldwin Aleppo.
Filming on the two-hour telefilm, whose script was reworked after the strike, is expected to begin in April in Budapest, Hungary, New York and Puerto Rico.The project is funded for seasons to come, Nehst founder and chairman Larry Meistrich said.
"We are committed to financing the pilot and deficiting the potential series," he said.Added CEO Ari Friedman, "I think it's a really good time for a project like this, and we are confident we can find a home for it."The two-hour movie/backdoor pilot model was used successfully to launch an updated version of another classic action-adventure series, "Knight Rider," which is expected to be picked up to series by NBC after the movie scored big ratings last month."Saint" was packaged by CAA. Levinson is repped by ICM.
Roger Moore starred on, produced and directed several episodes of the original British "Saint," which ran on ITV from 1962-69 and in syndication in the U.S. from 1963-66 and as a summer series on NBC from 1967-69.
In the past 10 years, there have been two attempts by broadcast networks to remake the series. In 2000, UPN teamed with director John McTiernan and ATG, while ABC took a stab at the franchise in 2004 with writer Stephen Nathan and "American Idol" producer FremantleMedia North America, which owned the rights at the time.Labels: 2008, Barry Levinson, Bill MacDonald, Cat out of the Bag, Geoffrey Moore, James Purefoy, Roger Moore
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Wednesday, December 05, 2007
 Breaking news on the forthcoming coming TV series of The Saint, and you heard it here first!
James Purefoy, who played Mark Antony in "Rome" is set to play the new Simon Templar in the forthcoming TV series of The Saint.
Bill Macdonald tells www.saint.org (the official website of The Saint Club) that his team is prepping a two-hour pilot for a European shoot. The reason for shooting in Europe is the current strike situation in U.S. would otherwise hold up production. Shooting in Berlin and Australia begins in April.
Bill goes on to say that the show is being produced by himself (William J. MacDonald), Geoffrey Moore (Sir Roger Moore's son), and Jorge Zamacona (most recently of "Oz").
James Purefoy, who will play the new Saint, was screen tested for the role of James Bond in 1995 for Goldeneye, and throughout 2004 and 2005 Purefoy's name was rumoured as a possible candidate to replace Brosnan as agent 007 in future James Bond films. These rumors surfaced again before the 2006 film, Casino Royale.Labels: 2007, Geoffrey Moore, James Bond, James Purefoy, Jorge Zamacona, TV, William J. MacDonald
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for James Purefoy To Play Simon Templar in The Saint
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
 According to Roger Moore, his son Geoffrey will not be playing The Saint in the upcoming TV series on TNT. The following question came up in Roger's monthly column on his website, and as you can see by his answer the casting for Simon Templar is still wide open: QUESTION:
Hello Sir Roger, Any idea how the new Saint project is coming along? Is your son still attached to it? As the Saint?
ANSWER:
My son Geoffrey co-owns the rights will Bill Macdonald. He will produce, not star. It's nudging along, but like everything else in this business, it takes an age to get things going. So time, patience and determination are the watch words... Labels: 2007, Geoffrey Moore, Roger Moore, TNT, TV, William J. MacDonald
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for No Son of The Saint
Monday, March 26, 2007
The question on everyone's mind is, who will star as Simon Templar in the new series of The Saint on TNT?
Roger Moore's son, Geoffrey Moore is co-producing the show with Producer William J. MacDonald, and while there was some initial speculation that Geoffrey might take the role on himself, it appears that they are still casting for the role.
Who will be The Saint? Who do you think would make a great Saint for 2007? Please comment below!Labels: 2007, Geoffrey Moore, Roger Moore, TNT, William J. MacDonald
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for Who Will Be The Saint?
Monday, March 19, 2007
Lots of news last week about the new version of The Saint series that is in development for TNT. Roger Moore's son, Geoffrey Moore, has teamed up with producer William J. MacDonald to create a new series for television. Jorge Zamacona is working on the script for a 90-minute pilot, and they are getting consulting advice from such notable long-time Saints as Ian Dickerson and Burl Barer -- both who are huge fans of the Leslie Charteris books, and hopefully can exert some influence in keeping with the gentleman thief character of Simon Templar.
There is certainly some concern, as William (Bill) J. MacDonald was one of the producers (along with Robert Evans) of the Val Kilmer Saint film by Paramount back in 1997 – a movie so un-Saint-like, that Leslie Charteris’ name was removed from the credits. The Saint (1997) was a tough movie for die-hard fans as the character that they knew and loved didn’t actually show up until the end of the movie – such is the problem with “origin stories.” That said, Bill MacDonald has surrounded himself with some great Saint this time, including Roger’s son, and we are very hopeful for a clever gentleman with his own code of moral values to emerge without the need to spend any time telling the story of how Simon Templar became The Saint.
As yet, nobody has been cast as the Saint. There was some initial speculation that it might be Geoffrey Moore himself, and that option has not been completely taken off the table as they look for The Saint of 2007.
Your thoughts? Comment below.Labels: 2007, Burl Barer, Geoffrey Moore, Ian Dickerson, Ian Ogilvy, Jorge Zamacona, Leslie Charteris, Simon Dutton, TNT, William J. MacDonald
3 comments
for New series of The Saint coming to TNT
Monday, January 01, 2007
Happy New Year 2007
Happy New Year 2007 to all the Saint fans out there in the world. It's shaping up to be a good year for The Saint, and we have a lot of good things to look forward to. The forthcoming release of the new DVD box set of The Return of The Saint is going to be especially good.
The buzz and rumors on the new Saint TV show from Geoffrey Moore are starting to get louder, and if that becomes a reality then there will certainly be a lot more to talk about in the coming months!
We're also keeping a sharp eye on Ian Dickerson's biography of Leslie Charteris, entitled, "A Saint I Aint!"
Cheers,Labels: 2007, DVD, Geoffrey Moore, Leslie Charteris, Return of The Saint, TV
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Sunday, December 17, 2006
 For those of you wondering what kind of an actor Roger Moore's son Geoffrey will be, see if you can get your hands on a copy of Fire, Ice, and Dynamite. This movie starred both Roger Moore and Geoffrey Moore. I haven't actually viewed the film myself, and I'm looking to hear from the Saint fans out there about what they think about the chances that Geoffrey might take on the role of The Saint in 2007.
Buy on VHS from Amazon USA
Buy on DVD from Amazon UK
Search for Fire, Ice, and Dynamite on eBay
Jason MacIsaac has written an extensive review and plot synopsis that truly defies explanation. It's part of his site dedicated to Jabootu, the muse of bad movie creativity. There are a great number of screenshots and a complete description and review of Fire, Ice, and Dynamite.Labels: 2006, Amazon.com, eBay, Geoffrey Moore, Roger Moore, Val Kilmer
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for Fire, Ice, and Dynamite
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
In an article in the China Daily, Roger Moore says the Daniel Craig is "absolutely super" in the role of James Bond in the new movie, Casino Royale. In the same article, Roger Moore hints at a remake of The Saint which might involve both Roger and his son Geoffrey Moore.
BEIJING, Nov. 2 -- Sir Roger Moore has backed the new James Bond Daniel Craig, saying he will be "absolutely super" in the role of the secret agent.
Sir Roger, who played Bond during the 1970s and 1980s, was unveiling a plaque at the Elstree film and television studios yesterday.
He said: "I am fed up with everybody attacking poor Daniel Craig, I am sure he is going to be absolutely super."
Sir Roger was unveiling the plaque to mark the six years he spent filming at Elstree when he played Simon Templar in the hit TV series The Saint.
He said: "I spent eight to nine years of my life literally working every day from crack of dawn till sunset, sometimes through the late nights. "It`s good to be back."
Sir Roger was joined by some members of the cast and crew of The Saint, and hinted there may be a remake in the pipeline, thanks to his son.
He added: "I think my son may be remaking it in the very near future and he might even give me a part." Labels: 2006, Elstree Studios, Geoffrey Moore, James Bond, Roger Moore, TV, Val Kilmer
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for Roger Moore backs new Bond and hints at new Saint
Thursday, October 05, 2006
You can now visit Volvo's site and give a Volvo to The Saint! As noted in Seth Godin's Blog Simon Templar won't actually get a Volvo from your deeds. The idea is just to get you thinking about who in your life deserves a Saintly Volvo. I wonder where the link to the Volvo 1800 is? How about a nice white C70 for the new TV series starring Geoffrey Moore?Labels: 2006, Geoffrey Moore, TV, Volvo
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Friday, September 15, 2006
 From the DAILY EXPRESS, September 15, 2006
Moore Says Son May Take On Saintly Halo
Having been unsuccessfully touted for the part of 007 by his father, it seems Roger Moore's son Geoffrey, right, is set to reprise another of his dad's top roles.
Restaurateur Geoffrey, 40, who was championed by his old man as the "ideal" successor to Pierce Brosnan before Daniel Craig landed the part, has bought the rights to cult TV series The Saint, in which his father played Simon Templar in the Sixties.
It is understood that Moore junior, who did some minor acting part in his youth, could take on the guise of Templar in the future.
Roger, 78, who has long insisted his son is "much more talented" than himself, says: "The rights have been optioned by various companies and are now with Geoffrey and his business partner. Watch this space."Labels: 2006, Geoffrey Moore, Roger Moore, TV
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for Moore Says Son May Take On Saintly Halo
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