The Life On Mars stars will reunite and ‘time travel’ for a new TV show after the show’s third season was cancelled.
According to a new report, John Simm, 53, and Philip Glenister, 61, will be working together again, although sadly not for another BBC sci-fi installment.
The former co-stars will reunite for an episode of ITV1’s DNA Journey as they research their ancestors.
A source said Sun: ‘It’s not exactly the reunion Life On Mars fans would have wanted, but it’s probably the closest they’ll get.
“There will still be some of the obvious old dynamic between John and Philip, and the fact that they will travel back in time to investigate their ancestors on the show seems quite appropriate.”
Life On Mars stars will reunite and ‘time travel’ for a new TV show after the show’s third season was canceled (John Simm and Philip Glenister pictured)
In the ITV series, celebrities embark on a life-changing journey to explore their family history.
Life On Mars ran for two seasons between 2006 and 2007 before a three-series spin-off, Ashes To Ashes.
John played Sam Taylor, a Manchester police officer who travels back in time to 1973 after a car accident and finds himself working the same job under Phillip’s character, Detective Chief Inspector Gene Hunt.
In June, it was revealed that the planned third installment of Life On Mars had been scrapped.
While the original series, launched in 2006, was a huge success, show bosses have now revealed that the “financial obstacles” were too much to overcome.
The creators, Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah, released their sequel, Ashes to Ashes, in 2008, and had announced details of a sequel in 2020.
The project, called Lazarus, would have tied into the Life on Mars universe, and viewers were hoping to see characters from both previous shows together.
But despite revealing that a script for a pilot episode had been completed last year, Matthew revealed the disappointing news that the project had been put on hold in a statement on Twitter.
The former co-stars will reunite for an episode of ITV1’s DNA Journey as they research their ancestors, according to The Sun.
He wrote: ‘Some sad news, folks. After many months of planning, we will no longer do Lazarus. I can’t go into details, but the obstacles were financial, not creative.
‘Naturally, everyone involved is sick as a jungle full of parrots. Especially Ashley Pharoah and me.
He continued: ‘It was a great concept, relevant to our times. He had a whole new round of things to say about the relationship between the public and the police.
And it was also fucking fun. But that, as they say, is show business, baby. Forgive us if we don’t answer questions about the decision or what happens next for Gene, Sam and the gang.
“But we wanted to let those who were interested know so they could offer the boss a pint of tan n bitter instead.”
Co-creator Ashley added: “Really disappointing news but we gave it a proper chance.”
‘We are still thinking of a way to share the script with you or publish it in another form. Until then… pub?
It followed the story of DI Sam Tyler (played by John Simm), who was involved in a car accident in 2006 and mysteriously found himself transported back in time to 1970s Manchester.
Meanwhile, in its sequel, Ashes to Ashes, he discovers that he has a boss in the form of Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister), an old-school DCI.
In the three series that ran until 2010, he followed his superior in the police in the 1980s.
In June, it was revealed that the planned third installment of Life On Mars, titled Lazarua, had been scrapped.
While the original series, launched in 2006, was a huge success, show bosses have now revealed the ‘financial obstacles’ were too many (pictured: John Simm and Liz White).
The BBC reportedly previously turned down a new series or one-off Life On Mars show in 2020, according to Graham’s fellow creator Ashley Pharoah.
In 2018, he said it had not made “financial sense” for the corporation to make a Christmas special set in the 1970s.
Both series stand out for combining the genres of mystery, supernatural, science fiction, time travel, period and police procedural drama.
It twice won the International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series and has since inspired international remakes.