The original Land of the Lost series aired on NBC from 1974 to 1976 and tells the story of father Rick and his two children, Will and Holly, who enter a prehistoric world through a portal. There live dinosaurs (including a Tyrannosaurus Rex named Grumpy), Pakuni (ape-like creatures) and Sleestak (lizard-like humanoids). One of the Pakuni, Cha-Ka, becomes a friend of the family. The series used stop-motion animation for the creatures and, despite its short run, gained a cult following.
The format’s enduring popularity led to a remake in 1991 (running for two seasons on ABC) and a feature film in 2009 starring Will Ferrell, both produced by Sid and Marty Krofft.
Netflix, which has previously revived classic series such as Lost in Space and One Day at a Time and is currently working on a remake of Little House on the Prairie, sees Land of the Lost as a new project with nostalgic value and potential for a modern audience.
Legendary Television, which is working on the project with Netflix, is also currently involved in series such as Dune: Prophecy (HBO), Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (Apple TV+), and several Tomb Raider projects. The company is also developing a series with Amazon called Girls and Their Horses, starring Nicole Kidman.
While it’s unclear when the new Land of the Lost will be released or who will play the lead roles, all signs point to Netflix’s commitment to modernizing iconic formats for a new audience.
