Filming begins on ‘Magnum P.I.’ reboot

The reboot of “Magnum, P.I.,” the 1980s Hawaii crime drama starring Tom Selleck, began filming its first season early Monday in an empty field in Kapolei.

Cast and crew members gathered at sunrise for a Hawaiian blessing before they went to work, updating the once popular TV show.

“This is something I’ve been trying to get done for 10 years,” said Peter Lenkov, executive producer of the new “Magnum P.I.” and the new “Hawaii Five-0” series, now in its ninth year. “This actually predates ‘Hawaii Five-0.’”

While the priest blessed the cast, crew and a red Ferrari, a rainbow emerged overhead. Rain began to sprinkle during the blessing and quickly turned into a downpour when filming began, yet the cast and crew’s spirits weren’t dampened.

“I can’t even say this is a dream come true because I wasn’t dreaming this big,” said Stephen Hill about his casting as Theodore “TC” Calvin, originally played by Roger E. Mosley.

Hill said his part “means a lot” because he watched the show growing up.

“When I was a kid, there weren’t a lot of black action heroes,” said Hill.

Lenkov said that he expects fans of the original series to “probably come with their arms folded,” but hopes they will see how the reboot “honors the original show.”

In addition to updating Magnum’s signature red Ferrari, with license plate “Robin-1,” with license plate “Robin-2,” the reboot features change in the form of a strong female presence. Juliet Higgins, played by Perdita Weeks, has replaced the Jonathan Higgins character from the first series.

“I felt that this new incarnation needed a female voice,” said Lenkov.

Jay Hernandez, who plays Thomas Magnum, will not have the iconic mustache Tom Selleck’s Magnum displayed, but will honor the character’s roots. Hernandez’s Magnum is an ex-Navy SEAL previously stationed in Afghanistan who becomes a private investigator.

“I wanted to make sure (the reboot) would honor what the original one was but also set itself apart because it’s such an iconic TV show, it’s such an iconic character,” said Hernandez.

In the original, Magnum was a former Navy SEAL and Naval Intelligence officer who served in the Vietnam War.

Zachary Knighton, who plays Orville “Rick” Wright, said the reboot and the original will have a “mutual, beneficial relationship.”

“If we can bring the old audience to our show, we’ll definitely be able to bring the new audience to the original ‘Magnum,’” he said.

Lenkov said that he “always saw (‘Magnum P.I.’) as an insurance policy for jobs,” since “Hawaii Five-0” is in its ninth season and will eventually end. He hopes the reboot will not only provide jobs for the new crew, but also “keep those jobs alive” for the crew members of “Hawaii Five-0.”

The first episode is scheduled to air Sept. 24.