CBS' "Training Day" is hoping to transfer the same magic that made Antoine Fuqua's 2001 film so riveting to the small screen. Their strategy: use some of the same ingredients. Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Ethan Hawke, who starred alongside Denzel Washington in the original, has been approached about reprising his role as Jake Hoyt in the TV series, which comes from Fuqua, Jerry Bruckheimer and Warner Bros. TV. It is unknown if Hawke has agreed or not at this point, and if he does, it will only be for a supporting/recurring role.
The original film starred Washington as crooked detective Alonzo Harris and Hawke as his rookie protégé Hoyt. The TV series, written by Will Beall and directed by Fuqua, will take place 15 years later and focus on an optimistic young African-American cop, Kyle, who is sent under cover by the Deputy Chief to take down a potentially crooked Caucasian detective, Frank, and his elite LAPD unit.
Deadline reports that there were two versions of the pilot script. One version positioned an older Jake Hoyt as the corrupt cop and was created to potentially entice Hawke into a bigger role. But the outlet says Hawke, coming off an Oscar nomination for "Boyhood," was not interested. The second version of the scrip, which was greenlighted, created a new character for the role of the corrupt cop with Hoyt serving as the Deputy Chief. The pilot will reportedly address the killing of Washington's Alonzo.
It sounds as if Hawke is agreeable to occasional appearances, similar to Bradley Cooper's role on CBS' "Limitless." Unfortunately, the Deputy Chief's character is designed to be a more consistent presence, so the two sides still have some figuring out to do.
Hawke can next be seen in Fuqua's upcoming film "The Magnificent Seven."
