Over the years since Max Headroom vanished from the airwaves, there have been various attempts at jump-starting a continuation or new take on the character. Most of these have been in the form of proposals to create a feature film, a new pilot or a new series. As nearly as I can tell, every person and entity with an interest in Max - and there are several - has taken their swing at this restart.

In an era where the great film capitals of the world are raiding dumpsters and scraping the paint off the bottom of the barrel to find old properties from which more blood can be extracted, it will come as no surprise that attention has finally, and seriously, turned back to Max Headroom.

This special report section is composed of things I have learned, directly and with some substantiation, from various parties in the world of Max.

Some comments on what underlies the recent activity:

There are many reasons why Max Headroom has remained in mothballs for 20 years. Primary among them is that rights and ownership are deeply disputed among several parties, mainly Chrysalis Productions in the UK and Lorimar/ABC in the US. Lorimar was long ago acquired by Warner Brothers, and Chrysalis's television properties were recently acquired by another UK media consortium.

These are, however, not the only players in the game. It gets very muddy and complex, and so every attempt of the last two decades to work up a feature film, restart or retake of the series or any other continuation of Max has run into impenetrable brick walls of rights and permissions.

There is also a time for things, and to be fair, Max Headroom is about as Eighties as an '80s phenomenon can be. For all the fan appreciation (underground though it might be), there needs to be a wide appeal (real, perceived or created) to bring an old property back to life. This appeal was quite limited: All the way through about 2002, Max was perceived as just too dated and era-bound to have anything but limited kitsch value. Even Matt Frewer said, "Max's shelf life has passed" in about that time. (No question that this viewpoint overlooks some very timeless aspects of Max's content and potential appeal, but we are talking about Hollywood and its clones.)

Now, however, there's a growing appreciation of Max Headroom and the time may well be becoming ripe for his electronic resuscitation. He's antique enough to be cool again without an undue amount of kitschiness weighing things down, and his potential for renewed stardom (and all that brings in marketability) may be higher than his original era.

(No questions, please - I am revealing all I can, and a little more, here. I will add what I can, when I can...)

Matt Frewer B-B-Back in the Suit

Matt Frewer strapped on the rubber and fiberglass recently to film four commercials for Channel Four, promoting their impending switch to digital. According the the SFX Magazine article, this is the first time Frewer has performed as Max in 20 years. (The 1988 or 1989 Xmas Special seems to have been his last appearance.)

In the SFX Magazine article, Frewer mentions discussions of a resumption of the show (I assume this refers to the ABC series or something like it, and not a talk/music show). It's hard to properly weight such claims - they could be fannish chatter with the SFX reporter or a peek at real negotiations underway.

Ownership Party in Discussion with Network

A party with a significant ownership role in Max Headroom revealed that talks are underway with a major network, with concentration on a feature broadcast film... which of course would have secondary purpose as a new pilot.

Graphics House in Discussions

A well-known visual f/x company let slip that they are in talks about the application of present-generation technology to a Max-like construct and associated graphics. The discussion was supposed to be generic but showed a new-gen take on Max's trademark bouncing-lines background.

Disturbingly, this discussion strongly implied that Max would be truly computer-generated - in part, was the implication, so that it would free the producers from reliance on an actor. Any actor.

Principals Officially Mum - Together

Two well-known Max Headroom principals have demurred on project interview requests, citing ongoing negotiations. Others just as significant, curiously, have been generous in establishing contact and planning for interview sessions.

Coupled with that, a number of important principals have been spotted, or have admitted being, in proximity with others. Some of these folks and companies haven't even exchanged Xmas cards for years... but are now breathing the same air. Irrelevant? Maybe.